Book Review of Syzigias y quadraturas lunares by Manuel Antonio de Rivas
Date
Authors
Major Professor
Advisor
Committee Member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Authors
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Is Version Of
Versions
Series
Department
Abstract
Syzigias y quadraturas lunares was written by friar Manuel Antonio de Rivas, a member of the Franciscan order in the Yucatán Peninsula, New Spain, in 1775. The text is the earliest known example of a marvelous journey to the moon written in the New World. In addition to narrating the lunar voyage and scientific experiments of one Onésimo Dutalón in its thirteen-odd pages, it also contains elements of the history of an advanced lunar society, directly and indirectly engages scientific and religious debates of the times, and makes thickly veiled references to figures of the day. As Carmen F. Galán states in her prefatory study, ‘es un manuscrito con demasiadas intenciones’ (38), though herein also lies much of the fascination of this work both for Galán and for the reader.
Comments
This accepted book review is published as Haywood-Ferreira,R., Review of Syzigias y quadraturas lunares by Manuel Antonio de Rivas, Ed. Carmen F. Galán. For the Bulletin of Spanish Studies, University of Glasgow. 90.6 (2013): 1068-69. Doi: 10.1080/14753820.2013.810922. Posted with permission.