Historia de la Villa Imperial de Potosí

Historia de la villa imperial de Potosi
riquesas incomparables de su famoso cero, grandesas de su magnanima poblacion, sus gueras civiles y casos

By Bartolomé Arzáns de Orsúa y Vela (1676-1736)

The Historia de la villa imperial de Potosi, written c.1705-1736 by Bartolomé Arzáns de Orsúa y Vela (1676-1736) and continued briefly by his son, Diego, chronicles life in the Bolivian “Imperial City” of Potosí, once the largest city in the New World and home to its most lucrative silver mine. The manuscript held at the John Hay Library is the primera parte of the complete work and records, as the subtitle indicates, the social and political unrest of the city, as well as its “unparalleled riches and the greatness of its magnanimous people, its civil wars and memorable cases.” Illustrations included in the manuscript portray the metallurgy work of the city, its topographical features, and historic events.

The Manuscript of the primera parte was of uncertain origin and provenance before it was purchased in 1905, in Paris, by Colonel George Earl Church (1835-1910). Church, a direct descendant of Captain Benjamin Church who fought in the King Philip War, was commander of a Rhode Island regiment during the Civil War, an engineer, and well known for his explorations into South America. In 1912, the John Hay Library was left his personal library of over 3,500 volumes focusing on economic, historic, geographic, and descriptive studies of the Latin American and Caribbean regions. Historia de la villa imperial de Potosi is perhaps the most important item in the collection.

In 1965, in celebration of the bicentennial anniversary of the University, the 1,200 page manuscript was transcribed and published for the first time in its entirety and in the original Spanish.