Pedro de Aguado
Who was Pedro de Aguado?
Spanish Franciscan friar in the New Kingdom of Granada
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Pedro de Aguado (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Pedro de Aguado was born in 1513 in Valdemoro, a town in the Kingdom of Castile, now part of Spain. He joined the Franciscan order and later traveled to the New World as part of the Spanish mission to convert the indigenous peoples of South America. He spent about fifteen years in the New Kingdom of Granada, an area that mostly covers modern-day Colombia and Venezuela, working as a preacher among the native people.
While in the New Kingdom of Granada, Aguado focused on documenting the region's history. He published a work originally written by fellow Franciscan Fray Antonio de Medrano, contributing to the early history of the area. More importantly, Aguado created his own detailed manuscript called the Recopilación historial, which chronicles the history of the New Kingdom of Granada and the province of Venezuela. He tried to get this manuscript published between 1576 and 1583, but these attempts failed during his lifetime.
Even though the Recopilación historial was never printed while Aguado was alive, his manuscript was shared among scholars and historians, who used it as a key source to understand the early colonial period in northern South America. The work covered the Spanish conquest, the indigenous peoples, and the social and political developments of the New Kingdom of Granada in great detail. Its impact on later historians was significant, despite being unpublished at the time.
Aguado lived a very long life, passing away in the early seventeenth century in the Viceroyalty of New Granada. Whether he was born in 1513 or 1538, he remained active in the colonial world for many years. His commitment to recording the history of the areas he served made him part of a group of Franciscan friars who combined mission work with scholarship, creating records that would later be crucial for historians of Latin American colonial history.
The Recopilación historial was finally published in the twentieth century, allowing a wider scholarly audience to access Aguado's complete chronicle. This late publication confirmed the importance of his work and his place as one of the earliest and most detailed chroniclers of the New Kingdom of Granada.
Before Fame
Pedro de Aguado was born in Valdemoro, Castile, in 1513, when Spain was expanding its empire in the Americas after Columbus's voyages and the conquests by Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro. The Franciscan order, which Aguado joined, was very active in sending missionaries to the New World, driven by religious enthusiasm and support from the monarchy.
Not much is known about Aguado's education or early work in Spain before he went to the Americas. However, friars of his time usually studied theology and scripture in Franciscan convents. Many were chosen for missionary work due to their skills and dedication. As Spanish colonial administration grew in the New Kingdom of Granada during the 1530s and 1540s, Aguado likely was among those called to serve and minister to the indigenous people there.
Key Achievements
- Compiled the Recopilación historial, one of the earliest detailed chronicles of the New Kingdom of Granada and Venezuela
- Published Fray Antonio de Medrano's historical work on the New Kingdom of Granada
- Conducted approximately fifteen years of missionary work among indigenous peoples in northern South America
- Produced a manuscript that served as a primary source for subsequent historians of the early colonial period even before its eventual publication
Did You Know?
- 01.Aguado's major manuscript, the Recopilación historial, remained unpublished for nearly four centuries after he completed it, finally appearing in print in the twentieth century.
- 02.He published a historical work originally authored by another friar, Antonio de Medrano, effectively acting as an editor and advocate for his fellow Franciscan's scholarship.
- 03.The uncertainty surrounding Aguado's birth year spans twenty-five years, with scholars proposing either 1513 or 1538, making even his lifespan a matter of historical debate.
- 04.Aguado spent roughly fifteen years in the New Kingdom of Granada, a colonial region encompassing much of present-day Colombia and Venezuela, during which he combined active preaching with historical writing.
- 05.Although Aguado's manuscript failed to find a publisher between 1576 and 1583, it was nonetheless consulted and used by other historians of the colonial period, spreading its influence in manuscript form.