Forgotten Franciscans

“A fascinating collection of writings by early colonial Franciscans. These three pieces give the reader a new and unique insight into the members of the order. These works allow us to glimpse the doctrinal conflicts within the order and to explore the sensitive relationship with the Holy Office of the Inquisition. Far from the saintly lives of the missionaries, these works offer a view of the inner workings of the order and the thought processes of some of its members.”

—John F. Schwaller, President, SUNY–Potsdam

“Martin Nesvig recovers the words and deeds of three long-forgotten Franciscans who were far removed from the archetypal sixteenth-century missionary role, yet were part of the struggle to preserve the Christian religion and transfer it to a new world. This work helps us understand sixteenth-century Franciscans’ complex theological standing, which could swing between orthodoxy and challenges to the established canons of the faith. The Franciscan order harbored brilliant theoreticians, spiritual dissenters, and near hermits driven to serve as censors of the faith. Nesvig enriches our vision of this religious order and indicates new ways for renovating the study of their role in Mexico in the early modern period. There are still some gems to be discovered in the rich archival records of the Inquisition and the Franciscan order, and this work proves it.”

—Asunción Lavrin, Professor Emerita of History, Arizona State University

“This volume provides a useful balance between accessible contextualization and expert discussion of sources that will be greatly appreciated by both students and specialists.”

—David Tavárez Renaissance Quarterly

“These writings, critically edited and carefully translated into English by Martin Austin Nesvig, help the reader to rethink the stereotypical model of the sixteenth-century Franciscan missionary. . . . The scholarship with which Nesvig edits these texts is remarkable. . . . We believe that this book offers graduate students an interesting opportunity to go in depth into some Franciscan topics that are poorly treated in programs of Latin American history.”

—Francisco Morales The Americas

“Both the neophyte and the specialist will benefit from Nesvig’s lucid translations of these remarkable texts and from his enlightening introductions to each of them.”

—Pablo García Loaeza Bulletin of Latin American Research