Meeting of Peruvianists at the Capitular and Columbian Library: Presentation of the Critical Edition of Bernabé Cobo

The Capitular and Columbian Library of Seville has been the setting for a high-level institutional visit on the occasion of the presentation of the critical edition of the History of the New World, the masterwork of the Jesuit chronicler Bernabé Cobo.

The event was attended by three key figures in Spanish-Peruvian anthropology and cultural diplomacy: Pilar Romero de Tejada, former director of the National Museum of Anthropology and expert in ethnology; Fermín del Pino Díaz, CSIC researcher and leading Peruvianist; and Alonso Ruiz Rosas, poet and current Cultural Attaché of Peru in Spain.

The central focus of the visit was the direct examination of the original manuscript of the work, which is preserved on the shelves of the Sevillian library under the call number BCC: 57-4-24. This copy is not only a bibliographic treasure for its content, but has also served as the fundamental basis for the facsimile edition being presented today, consolidating the importance of the Capitular Library as a reference center for the study of the chronicles of the Indies.

Fermín del Pino, specialist in the history of anthropological ideas, highlighted during the meeting the significance of Bernabé Cobo as one of the most rigorous observers of American nature and societies in the 17th century. For his part, Cultural Attaché Alonso Ruiz Rosas emphasized that this critical edition strengthens the historical ties between Spain and Peru, while Pilar Romero de Tejada underscored the need to continue disseminating these bibliographic collections that form the foundation of modern anthropology.

The event served to vindicate the continuing relevance of Cobo’s work and the preservation efforts of the Capitular Library, which enables current researchers to work with the primary sources of our shared history.