Copyright by Matthew JK Hill 2015 The Dissertation Committee for Matthew JK Hill certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Intercolonial Currents: Printing Press and Book Circulation in the Spanish Philippines, 1571-1821 Committee: Kelly McDonough, Co-supervisor César A. Salgado, Co-supervisor Cory A. Reed Madeline Sutherland-Meier Ann Twinam Intercolonial Currents: Printing Press and Book Circulation in the Spanish Philippines, 1571-1821 by Matthew JK Hill, B.A.; M.A. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin May 2015 Dedication To Alice, Lucas, Eva, Gabriel, and especially Rhonda Acknowledgements Although I wrote the actual words contained in this dissertation, they would never have made it out onto paper without the invaluable support of many people. I first want to recognize my Spanish 611 course from Summer 2014 for being willing to go beyond dull one-page essays to see why learning Spanish is actually important and interesting. Similarly a big thank you goes out to my family and especially my Dad for helping in the downloading and transcription of some of the archival documentation. Thanks a bunch also to Don Miguel and Doña Yolanda for the many fun times and constant support over the course of my education. Most of the material used in the elaboration of this dissertation came from archival research in Mexico City and Manila, and if it were not for a number of perfectly lovely people in those cities my research would have been ten times harder and a thousand times more lonely. I must first thank my Philippine friends, Marilou Idos, currrently of Provo, Utah, and Resurreccion Hisita Ugay and Cathy Pimentel of Manila for helping me to find a comfortable and convenient place to stay while in Manila. Their efforts and concern were much appreciated. Thanks also to the helpful and friendly staff at the Antonio V. Rosario Heritage Library at the University of Santo Tomás, the archivists at the Archdiocesan Archives of Manila, the workers at the National Library of the Philippines, and the Lopez Memorial Library and Museum, for the opportunity to do research in their facilities. A very big “thank you” to Regalado Trota Jose, archivist at UST, for his patience, help, and collaboration in reading my manuscript. I also want to send a very grateful shout-out to my new friend Jorge Mojarro, most recently of Manila, for his correspondence and collaboration over the past year. Not only has he been an excellent sounding board for ideas about the press in Manila but he also provided me with a link to an absolute goldmine of archival data that I had previously been unaware of and which immeasurably v improved the depth and conclusions of Chapter Two. Also many thanks to both Ken Ward of the John Carter Brown Library for his comments and input, and for the collaboration of Ruth de Llobet Franch as I elaborated my arguments. Thanks, Jorge, Ken and Ruth. In Mexico City I want to thank Laura Muñoz at the UNAM for her willingness to share her time and expertise with me, Johanna von Graffenstein of the Instituto Mora for the hot chocolate and the books, and the staff at the Biblioteca Nacional and the Archivo General de la Nación. I especially appreciate the unrestricted access to files at the AGN, for without their open and liberal policy this dissertation would have been much poorer and would probably not have been written. Most importantly, however, is my home away from home, the family and friends I didn’t know I had, the Baqué Pérez de la Vega family: Juan, Rut, Tania, and Carla. Not only did they open their home to an almost complete stranger, but they have become some of the best friends I have ever had. Their kindness, generosity, and love are and will always be deeply appreciated: “He pensado varias veces en metáforas para describir esto lo que te digo: eres como una película perpetua que siempre se está pasando en la pantalla de mi memoria. O como una piedra preciosa que encuentras en la playa que te llevas siempre en el bolsillo, revolviéndola entre tus dedos recordando esos momentos pasados. Eso es lo que eres para mí, y nunca estás lejos de mis pensamientos.” To the many faceless and nameless scanners and digitizers of books at Google Books, the employees of the Biblioteca Nacional de España, and to the employees of the Archivo General de Indias in Seville and the Archivo Histórico Nacional of Madrid via the PARES website, a great collective handshake and thank you for providing so many digital items. Their online repositories gave me access to more texts than would have ever been possible in a non-digital age, and this dissertation is so much the richer for it. vi At the University of Texas I want to thank the E. D. Farmer Fellowship committee, the Carrie Lee Kennedy Fellowship committee, and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese for their financial contributions that allowed me to travel and do research abroad. Also a recognition of the fantastic holdings in the Rare Books section at the Benson Library and the helpful employees there. In the History Department I want to recognize Dr. Ann Twinam for introducing me to the unending, delightful downward spiral into the rabbit hole that is archival research. In the Department of Spanish and Portuguese I want to recognize Laura Rodríguez for her constant help and support, her boundless knowledge, and continual kind words over a period of six years; professors Madeline Sutherland-Meier for her kindness and support; Kelly McDonough for her always good academic and professional advice and her keen reader’s eye; César Salgado for being willing to step in to fill a position on my exam committee without even knowing me and for being an unflinching supporter of this project from the beginning; and to Cory Reed for his long-time help and advice, beginning with his “Other” seminar in Spring 2010. I have always been welcome in his office and appreciate the continued support of my academic work over the past five years. Saving the best for last, I want to thank my kids—Gabriel, Eva, Lucas, and Alice—for putting up with an absentee Dad while I was writing my dissertation. Most importantly, I must thank my wife, Rhonda. Although sometimes people exaggerate when they say, ‘This wouldn’t have been possible without you,’ in her case it is the literal, absolute, unmitigated, and concrete truth. It is because of her constant support of our family and my education that I have been able to finish this project. Her patience, strength, determination, dedication, and love have helped me to overcome moments of despair and to ultimately see this triumph. She has kept me grounded vii and has constantly reminded me of what is most important. Again, although I wrote the words of this dissertation, she made them possible. Thank you, Rhonda. This dissertation is for you. viii Intercolonial Currents: Printing Press and Book Circulation in the Spanish Philippines, 1571-1821 Matthew JK Hill, PhD The University of Texas at Austin, 2015 Supervisors: Kelly McDonough and César A. Salgado Although the printing and circulation of texts in Spanish America are well-documented phenomena, when it comes to the Philippines they have received far less attention. This dissertation addresses the large gap in scholarship in this area by examining press and book circulation activities in Spanish Manila from 1571 to 1821. Drawing on bibliographical and archival data this dissertation provides a macro-perspective on the role of the printing press in the islands, delineates general patterns of book importation into Manila, and exemplifies each of these trends in micro-perspective through case studies. Through these analyses I argue that the printed word had a constant presence from the beginning of the Spanish domination. I contend that the press in the islands, though relatively weak in comparison to the press in other colonial cities, was both relevant and important in the political, social, and historical development of the colony. Furthermore, I demonstrate that books were imported on a regular basis for educational, recreational, and religious use. Through the printed word, whether imported or produced domestically, Manila became the seat of a strong and vibrant intellectual tradition in the European fashion. ix Table of Contents List of Tables ........................................................................................................ xii List of Figures ...................................................................................................... xiii Introduction ..............................................................................................................1 Why books? ....................................................................................................4 The printing press in Manila: a brief introduction ........................................14 Literature review ..................................................................................15 Parameters ............................................................................................19 Origins of the Philippine press, 1593-1636 .........................................23 The Augustinians .................................................................................36 The Jesuits, the Seminario, and the Franciscans: 1636-1813 ..............42 Chapter 1 Profile of the Manila Press ...................................................................49