ROSA Y FIGUEROA, FRANCISCO DE LA

Archivist and historian of the Franciscan province of the Holy Evangelist in New Spain; b. place unknown, 1697; d. probably Mexico City, end of the 18th century. He was of noble lineage, probably a Creole, and related to the Priego, Arcos, and Feria families. From 1717 to 1724, as a secular priest, he roamed through the episcopates of Michoacán, Puebla, and Oaxaca and mastered the Mexican language, on which he wrote Arte de Artes in 1752. In 1724 he entered the Franciscan order; he was curate of Santa María la Redonda, vicar in the convent of Nativitas, and minister coadjutor in Tepepan and Xochimilco. In 1735 he went to the convent of Cuernavaca. In 1772 he held the titles of preacher general, notary apostolic, and notary or censor of books for the Holy Office, and, from 1748, archivist of his Franciscan province. As archivist he classified and catalogued the very rich archives, publicizing the important documents: in 1756, on the first confraternity in New Spain; in 1772, on the will and the legacies of Hernán Cortés; in 1774, on the convent of Santa María la Redonda and the family of the Condes de Orizaba. Thus he corrected such famous chroniclers as Juan de torquemada and vetancurt. In 1773 he wrote some Discursos humildes against a royal decree of Charles III, inspired by Bishop lorenzana, to the effect that "the different languages in the dominions of his majesty should be outlawed, and only the Spanish tongue should be spoken." Rosa y Figueroa made an erudite and ardent defense of the native languages and stressed the necessity for teaching them.

Bibliography: f. ocaranza, Capítulos de la Historia Franciscana, ser. 1. (Mexico City 1933).

[e. del hoyo]