Miguel Venegas
Encyclopedia
Miguel Venegas was a Jesuit administrator and historian, producing a standard geographical, historical, and ethnographic description of Baja California
, Mexico -- a region he never personally visited.
Venegas was born in Puebla and served in central Mexico. In the mid-1730s, he was assigned the task of writing an account of Baja California. This seems to have been, at least in part, to counter the setback to the missionaries' efforts and reputation caused by the Pericú
revolt on the southernmost part of the peninsula in 1734. The historian was given access to the missionaries' correspondence and reports, and he was able to exchange letters with them to acquire further information.
Venegas' 600-page manuscript, "Empresas Apostólicas," was completed in 1739. It was sent to Spain, but it languished there rather than seeing publication, perhaps because of the writer's prolix style and the political sensitivity of relations between the Jesuits and the Spanish crown. Another Jesuit historian, Andrés Marcos Burriel, extensively revised Venegas' manuscript in the 1750s, and it was finally published in 1757 as "Noticia de la California". This work by Venegas and Burriel was subsequently translated into English (1759), Dutch (1761–1762), French (1766–1767), and German (1769–1770), and it became the standard source for information about the early Californias. The original manuscript version was published in a facsimile edition in 1979.
Venegas also wrote a biography of Juan María de Salvatierra
, the founder of the Jesuit mission system in Baja California (1754a, 1929), and other works of pious intent (1931, 1954b).
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, Mexico -- a region he never personally visited.
Venegas was born in Puebla and served in central Mexico. In the mid-1730s, he was assigned the task of writing an account of Baja California. This seems to have been, at least in part, to counter the setback to the missionaries' efforts and reputation caused by the Pericú
Pericúes
The Pericú were the aboriginal inhabitants of the Cape Region, the southernmost portion of Baja California Sur, Mexico...
revolt on the southernmost part of the peninsula in 1734. The historian was given access to the missionaries' correspondence and reports, and he was able to exchange letters with them to acquire further information.
Venegas' 600-page manuscript, "Empresas Apostólicas," was completed in 1739. It was sent to Spain, but it languished there rather than seeing publication, perhaps because of the writer's prolix style and the political sensitivity of relations between the Jesuits and the Spanish crown. Another Jesuit historian, Andrés Marcos Burriel, extensively revised Venegas' manuscript in the 1750s, and it was finally published in 1757 as "Noticia de la California". This work by Venegas and Burriel was subsequently translated into English (1759), Dutch (1761–1762), French (1766–1767), and German (1769–1770), and it became the standard source for information about the early Californias. The original manuscript version was published in a facsimile edition in 1979.
Venegas also wrote a biography of Juan María de Salvatierra
Juan María de Salvatierra
Juan María de Salvatierra was a Catholic missionary to the Americas.His family was of Spanish origin, the name being written originally Salva-Tierra. Born in Milan, Italy, he studied in the Jesuit college of Parma. It was there that he accidentally came across a book upon the "Indian missions,"...
, the founder of the Jesuit mission system in Baja California (1754a, 1929), and other works of pious intent (1931, 1954b).