Relacion de las ceremonias y ritos y poblacion y gobernacion de los indios de la provincia de Mechuacan, hecha al illmo, señor don Antonio de Mendoza, virrey y gobernador de esta Nueva España por S.M.G.
Morelia: Tip. de Alfonso Aragon, 1903. 301 pp. + [42] leaves of plates. Illus. with b/w plates. 12mo. Later gray card covers with brown cloth spine. First Mexican edition. Rebound in plain gray boards with cloth spine, title from original wrappers laid down on front board, leaves cropped closely at lower edge but with no loss, images printed off center, a few trimmed closely with a bit of loss at the edges, contents lightly browned, a few marginal tears, overall a good solid copy. Palau 163667. Item #44484
The work, commonly known as the Relación de Michoacán, containing a list of the Mexican rulers and their conquests, was commissioned by the first Viceroy of New Spain, Antonio de Mendoza. It was first printed in Madrid in 1875 from the original manuscript (attributed to Fray Jerónimo de Alacalá) which is preserved in the Biblioteca del Escorial. The present reprint is from the Madrid edition, compared with an ancient copy of the Relación in the Library of Congress.
Quite rare in the trade in any edition; we could locate only two copies of this, the first Mexican edition, at auction in over a century, one in 1914 and one in 2018 (with some restoration and paper loss-for $1200).
Price: $875.00