Miguel Venegas facts for kids
Miguel Venegas (born 1680, died 1764) was a Jesuit (a member of a Catholic religious order) who worked as an administrator and historian. He is famous for his important book, Noticia de la California. This book describes the geography, history, and people of Baja California, Mexico. Interestingly, Miguel Venegas never actually visited Baja California himself!
Contents
The Life of Miguel Venegas
Miguel Venegas was born in Puebla, a city in what was then called New Spain (now Mexico). Before he joined the Jesuit order in 1700, he earned a university degree. Five years later, he became an ordained priest.
He taught important subjects like philosophy (the study of knowledge and existence) and moral theology (the study of right and wrong) at the Colegio S. Pedro y S. Pablo de México. Later in his life, he had health problems. Because of this, he moved to a Jesuit ranch called Chicomocelo. There, he spent his time writing and studying plants until he passed away in 1764.
As a historian, Miguel Venegas was very careful. He always checked his facts and chose his sources wisely. He wanted to find the real truth in his studies. For his big book on California, he even used information from Historia Naturalis Brasiliae. This was an important book from 1648 about plants and animals in Brazil.
Miguel Venegas's Published Works
In the mid-1730s, Miguel Venegas was given a special job. He was asked to write a detailed report about Baja California. This was partly to help the missionaries. Their reputation had been hurt by a rebellion in 1734 by the Pericú people in the southern part of the peninsula.
To write his book, Venegas was allowed to read all the letters and reports from the missionaries. He also wrote letters to them himself. He used questionnaires to get even more information.
Venegas finished his 600-page manuscript, called Empresas Apostólicas, in 1739. He sent it to Spain, but it wasn't published right away. It was too detailed, especially about military matters.
Another Jesuit historian, Andrés Marcos Burriel, worked on Venegas's manuscript in the 1750s. He made many changes and updates. Finally, in 1757, the book was published in Madrid. It was called Noticia de la California and came in three volumes.
This book by Venegas and Burriel became very popular. It was translated into English (1759), Dutch (1761–1762), French (1766–1767), and German (1769–1770). It became the main source of information about early California. The original manuscript was later published as a copy in 1979.
Miguel Venegas wrote many other books too. These included biographies (stories of people's lives) and theological writings (about religious topics). For example, he wrote a guide on how to perform sacraments for the Catholic church. This guide became the official rulebook for the Mexican church in 1731.
He also wrote biographies of Juan María de Salvatierra (published in 1754) and Juan Bautista Zappa (also published in 1754). Many of his works were edited a lot before they were published. This was because his fellow Jesuits felt his writing style was often too long.
List of Books by Venegas
- 1731. Manual de párrocos, para administrar los santos sacramentos, y exercer otras functiones ecclesiásticas conforme al ritual romano. J. D. de Hogal, Mexico.
- 1754a. El apóstol Mariano representado en la vida del V.P. Juan María de Salvatierra, de la Compañía de Jesús. Doña María de Rivera, Mexico City.
- 1754b. Vida y virtudes del V.P. Juan Bautista Zappa de la Compañía de Jesús. Pablo Nadal, Barcelona.
- 1757. Noticia de la California, y de su conquista temporal, y espiritual hasta el tiempo presente. Viuda de M. Fernández, Madrid.
Translations of Noticia de la California
- 1759. A Natural and Civil History of California. James Rivington and James Fletcher, London.
- 1761–1762. Natuurlyke en burgerlyke historie van California. Johannes Enschedé, Te Haerlem, Netherlands.
- 1766–1767. Histoire naturelle et civile de la Californie. Chez Durand, Paris.
- 1769–1770. Natürliche und bürgerliche Geschichte von Californien. Meyerschen Buchhandlung, Lemgo, Germany.
See also
In Spanish: Miguel Venegas para niños
