Arte de la lengua tarasca o de Michoacán

Author: Maturino Gilberti (1498–1585)

Year: 1898

Publisher: Tipografía de la Oficina Impresora del Timbre

Place: MexicoCity

Description:

vii+344+6 pages. Octavo (8 3/4" x 5 3/4") bound in half red leather with four raised spine bands with gilt lettering to spine over red cloth. (Ugarte 165) Reprint of the 1588 edition limited to 100 copies of which this is number 67,

Arte de la lengua tarasca o de Michoacán was printed in Mexico City, presumably in the workshops of Juan Pablos, the first printer in the Americas. It was originally structured in three parts covering the declension of nouns and pronouns, the conjugation of verbs, and the parts of speech, concluding with a section on orthography. Gilberti's work helped document and preserve one of the most enigmatic languages of Mesoamerica. Purépecha (historically referred to as "Tarascan" by the colonizers) is considered a language isolate, as it has not been possible—to this day—to demonstrate a genealogical relationship with any other language family in the world.

After centuries in which copies were scarce, the renowned polymath and scientist from Michoacán, Dr. Nicolás León, oversaw a notable paleographic reprint—produced at the printing office of the *Oficina Impresora del Timbre* in Mexico—thereby rescuing the text for modern linguistics. This copy number 62 of a limited edition of only 100 printed on maguey paper made from agave fibers, evokes Mexico's papermaking traditions and their connection to the materiales used in ancient codices.

Condition: R

ebound in half leather with original wrappers bound-in. Wrapper toned, some occasional soiling to preliminary pages else very good.