Francisco Antonio de Fuentes y Guzmán (1643–1700) was a Guatemalan historian and poet. His only surviving work is La Recordación Florida.
Contents |
Fuentes y Guzmán was born in Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala in 1643. He was the descendant of the conquistador Bernal Díaz del Castillo, historian of the Indies. In 1661 he held the position of Regidor Perpetuo de Guatemala (Perpetual Regidor of Guatemala). He was also the mayor of Totonicapán and Sonsonate. He worked many years as the Cronista del Ayuntamiento (Chronicler of the Municipal Government). He is thought to have died in Totonicapán in 1700.
La Recordación Florida, also called Historia de Guatemala (History of Guatemala), is Fuentes y Guzmán's only surviving work. It was the first Guatemalan history book written by a colonial Guatemalan author of Spanish descent.[1] The book was written in 1690 and is regarded as one of the most important works of Guatemalan history.[2] In the book, he describes the customs and rites of indigenous people, the Conquista, and notable facts in the history of Guatemala until the 16th century. His goal in this work was to be considered el Cronista de la Corona (the Crown's Chronicler).