Juan del Valle y Caviedes facts for kids
Juan del Valle y Caviedes (born April 11, 1645 – died 1697) was an important poet from Peru during the time it was ruled by Spain. People often called him Caviedes. He lived during the Baroque period, a time when art and literature were very grand and detailed.
Caviedes was known for being a social and political critic. This means he wrote poems that pointed out the problems and unfairness of the Spanish rulers in Peru. He was born in Porcuna, Spain, in 1645. When he was young, he moved to Peru and lived in Lima. He also spent some time in a mining area called Huancavelica.
What Did Caviedes Write About?
Caviedes's writing style was similar to other famous Spanish writers of his time. He was known for his funny, sharp, and sometimes rude humor. But behind his jokes, he was serious about criticizing the unfairness and bad behavior of people during the Colonial period. He also wrote serious poems about love and religion.
When Caviedes lived in Lima, he often made fun of doctors, rich people, and the Spanish court. He also wrote about other jobs like lawyers and tailors. He focused on things that were strange, ugly, or wrong. Because some of his writings were quite shocking, it was hard for him to get them published while he was alive. However, his poems were copied by hand and shared, and many of them have been published in books today.
A Sample of His Work
Here is a small part of one of Caviedes's famous poems, called "Colloquium that a seriously ill doctor had with Death." It's from his collection Diente del Parnaso (Tooth of Parnassus), written in 1689. In this poem, he makes fun of doctors.
Take care that in your eagerness
if you treat doctors this way
you'll force the priests and sacristans
to go on all fours.
Because neither sunstroke nor excess
or the worst parents-in-law
fruit or snow without liquor,
bullet, stockade or song
kill in one year as many
as the best doctor.
See also
In Spanish: Juan del Valle y Caviedes para niños
