Noticia de los progressos de nuestra Santa Fê, en las Islas Marianas, llamadas antes de los ladrones, y de el fruto que han hecho en ellas el padre Diego Luis de Sanvitores, y cico compañeros, de la Compañia de Iesus, en el primer año de su Mission, desde diez y seis de Iunio de mil y seiscientos y sesenta y ocho, hasta quinze de Mayo de mil y seiscientos y sesenta y nueue. Sacado de las cartas, que ha escrito el Padre Diego Luis de Sanvitores, y sus compañeros..

Archived by the National Library of New Zealand in TIFF. |5 Nz

First edition.

"In the manner of Quiros, Sanvitores emphasizes the importance of (and petitions for) continued exploration in the Pacific. He writes in part for the sake of his Jesuit mission, and for the role they could play in the colonization of the vast unexplored Southern Continent: Austral land. [His Noticia] provide[s] some of the earliest printed information on the Marianas islands (located between Hawaii and the Philippines) and the Catholic mission there. “Accompanied by four priests, one student and thirty lay preachers, Sanvitores landed at Guam in July 1668, at the start of a period of ambitious activity on the islands. Sanvitores renamed the islands 'Marianas' after his queen; a name that was to be rather more attractive to missionaries that the earlier 'Ladores' (thieves). A mission station was established at Agana on Guam, while Sanvitores set about mastering the local language (Chamorro) and soon after began visiting the neighboring islands by canoe” (Howgego). These Noticias are abundant in detail on the indigenous peoples (costumes, language, rites, personal appearance), geography (including natural resources and climate) and the activities and work of the missionaries; also, they contain a detailed list of the islands visited up to that point: Guam, Zarpana, Titian, Seypan, Sarigan, Guguan, Alagan, Pagon and others"--Bookseller information.

"Maggs states: “This rare publication is a continuation or companion report to the Memorial published in Mexico in 1669 ... [Sanvitores] pleaded for the establishment of a Mission in the Marianas, with a view to the development and conversion of the unknown austral lands ... and the methods by which the Jesuits prepared the ground for a spiritual harvest throughout the Southern Continent.”--Bookseller information.

Signatures: A-B⁴C⁴(-C4).

Electronic reproduction. : Wellington, N.Z. : National Library of New Zealand, 2015. Mode of access: World Wide Web. Reproduction of Alexander Turnbull Library Rare Book copy.

Electronic reproduction of Alexander Turnbull Library Rare Books and Fine Printing copy. Binding of original print version: old limp vellum, cover stamped in gold, text edges gilt. Possibly a presentation copy. Provenance of original print version: purchased by the ATL from James Cummins, 2015.