Juan José Eguiara y Eguren

Juan José Eguiara y Eguren (born in Mexico towards the close of the seventeenth century; died 29 January1763) was a Mexican Catholic scholar and bishop.

Life

He received his education in the Jesuit College of San Ildefonso of Mexico and later was named rector of the University of Mexico. His learning was extensive, covering theology, canon law, philosophy, mathematics, and letters; and he was a gifted orator.

Eguiara was elected Bishop of Yucatán, but resigned to continue his literary work.

Works

Resenting the levity with which the Dean of Alicante, Manuel Martí, had characterized the attainments of the men of letters of the New World in his "epistolas latinas" printed in Madrid in 1735, denying them any merit, Eguiara, began his work "Biblioteca Mexicana".

He published the first volume, which comprised the letters A, B, and C, and left in manuscript many biographies down to J. In the preface he refutes the charges of Dean Martí with much spirit and patriotism. The "Biblioteca Mexicana" is written in Latin and, besides the fact that it is incomplete, a pompous style detracts from it. It was, though, the first work of its kind published in Mexico and perhaps in the whole of Spanish-America. The complete title is "Biblioteca Mexicana sive eruditorum historia virorum qui in America Boreali nati, vel alibi geniti, in ipsam domicilio aut studiis asciti, quavis lingua scripto aliquid tradiderunt. Ferdinando VI Hispaniarum Regi Catholico, Nuncupata Mexici 1755".

He also published "Panegiricos", printed separately inMexico (1727-57); "Elogios fúnebres" (1755-66); "Praelectiones" (Mexico, 1746); fourteen volumes in theological and juridical questions; twenty volumes of sermons and instructions; and several other treatises.

References

*Beristain, "Biblioteca hispano-americana" (Amecameca, 1883);
*"Diccionario enciclopedico hispano-americano" (Barcelona, 1893)
*CathEncy|title=Juan José Eguiara y Eguren|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/16037b.htm