Almost millenarian: a critical rereading of Gerónimo de Mendieta’s eschatological thought and its historiography

Abstract

Franciscan Order stands as a central topic in the sixteenth century Spanish colonial history. Leaders of the spiritual conquest and early settlers of Mexico, Franciscans were among the first that recognized the importance of the New World recently discovered. Among them, fray Geronimo de Mendieta is globally renowned as one of the most important personalities of his epoch. His works—several cartas, relaciones, and a complete and extensive chronicle—are considered an indispensable source of information. My essay will investigate how Mendieta and his writings were gradually discovered and then incorporated in the larger framework of the sixteenth century history. I will start from what I consider a “first tradition” of studies that runs from the publication of his works in the late eighteenth century until the first half of the nineteenth. I will continue with a “second tradition” that stressed Franciscan mysticism and outlined Mendieta’s role in shaping a “Millenarian Kingdom” of Franciscans in the New World. I will then investigate a third generation of scholars that criticized this latter configuration, and I will end by briefly presenting my own reflection about Mendieta and his works.