Miguel Venegas

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Miguel Venegas (1680-1764) 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).

[edit] References

Mathes, W. Michael. 1979. "Supplement: Historical-Biographical Introduction". In Obras californianas del padre Miguel Venegas, S.J., by Miguel Venegas, vol. 1. Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz, Mexico.

Venegas, Miguel. 1731. Manual de párrocos, para administrar los santos sacramentos, y exercer otras functiones ecclesiásticas conforme al ritual romano. J. D. de Hogal, Mexico.

Venegas, Miguel. 1754a. El apóstol Mariano representado en la vida del V.P. Juan María de Salvatierra, de la Compañía de Jesús. Doña María de Rivera, Mexico City.

Venegas, Miguel. 1754b. Vida y virtudes del V.P. Juan Bautista Zappa de la Compañía de Jesús. Pablo Nadal, Barcelona.

Venegas, Miguel. 1757. Noticia de la California, y de su conquista temporal, y espiritual hasta el tiempo presente. Viuda de M. Fernández, Madrid.

Venegas, Miguel. 1759. A Natural and Civil History of California. James Rivington and James Fletcher, London.

Venegas, Miguel. 1761-1762. Natuurlyke en burgerlyke historie van California. Johannes Enschedé, Te Haerlem, Netherlands.

Venegas, Miguel. 1766-1767. Histoire naturelle et civile de la Californie. Chez Durand, Paris.

Venegas, Miguel. 1769-1770. Natürliche und bürgerliche Geschichte von Californien. Meyerschen Buchhandlung, Lemgo, Germany.

Venegas, Miguel. 1929. Juan María de Salvatierra of the Company of Jesus, Missionary in the Province of New Spain, and Apostolic Conqueror of the Californias. Arthur H. Clark, Cleveland, Ohio.

Venegas, Miguel. 1979. Obras californianas del padre Miguel Venegas, S.J. 5 vols. Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz, Mexico.