The memoirs of Fray Servando Teresa de Mier / Fray Servando Teresa de Mier ; translated from the Spanish by Helen Lane ; edited and with an introduction by Susana Rotker

Object Details

Author

Mier Noriega y Guerra, José Servando Teresa de 1763-1827

Rotker, Susana 1954-

Lane, Helen R

Subject

Mier Noriega y Guerra, José Servando Teresa de 1763-1827 Travel

Dominicans

Contents

Series Editors' General Introduction -- Note on the Author -- Chronology of the Author -- Note on the Text -- Editor's Introduction -- The Memoirs of Fray Servando Teresa de Mier

Summary

"On December 12, 1794, Fray Servando preached a sermon in Mexico City claiming that the Indies had been converted by St. Thomas long before the Spaniards arrived. Because the Spanish cited the "conversion of the heathen" as the justification of their conquest of the New World, Servando's words were deemed subversive. As a result, he was arrested by the Inquisition and exiled to Spain - only to escape and spend 10 years traveling throughout Europe, as none other than a French priest." "So began the grand adventure of Fray Servando's life, and of this gripping memoir. Here is an invitation hard for any reader to resist: a glimpse of the European "Age of Enlightenment" through the eyes of a fugitive Mexican friar. Fray Servando's account of Europe is clear-sighted, hilarious and certainly not included in the travel literature of that era. In this memoir, one sees a portrait of manners and morals that is a far cry from the 'civilized' spirit that the Empire wanted to impose on its Colonies. This book takes a look at history from an upside-down perspective, asking this question: who were the real savages, the colonizers themselves, or the supposed "savages" they were struggling to convert?"--Jacket.

1998

19th century

1789-1815

Type

Biography

History

Physical description

lxiv, 242 pages ; 22 cm

Place

Europe

Mexico

Smithsonian Libraries

Topic

Statesmen

Historians

Description and travel

Social life and customs

History

Record ID

siris_sil_1071975

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0