Juan del Valle y Caviedes (1645-1698) was a poet of Spanish origin of great importance during the colonial period in Peru. His works were based on works on love, poems that dealt with religious themes and even on philosophy. Although much of its recognition is due to its satirical productions.
He was very critical in all his writings, especially against doctors and politicians. He was part of the baroque movement of the time, in which other important writers such as Bernardo de Balbuena also stood out.
Source: Jack Child, via Wikimedia Commons.
Biography
There are many unknowns about the life of Juan del Valle y Caviedes, especially about his early years. The date of your birth, for example, is a piece of information that is full of inaccuracies. For example, in some publications, 1652 appeared as the year of your birth.
It is known that he was originally from Porcuna, a town in the Andalusia region of Spain. Precisely in his town there is a commemorative plaque that indicates that 1645 was the year of the writer's birth, which is why that year is given as valid.
In Caviedes' will, it was recorded that his parents were Pedro Valle y Caviedes and María de Caviedes.
When his father died, around the year 1661, Caviedes traveled to Peru. The motivations that the Spanish had to go to America are not known. For some years he lived with his uncle Tomás Berjón, who served as governor of the city of Huancavelica, located in the central part of the South American country.
Little is also known about the studies and the trades he performed. Some historians have claimed that he engaged in mining while in Huancavelica.
Many facts about his life have been assumptions made thanks to his works, which, being mostly satirical works or criticisms of doctors, are not totally accurate. It was even said that he had financial problems as a result of gambling, drinking and that he suffered from different diseases.
His financial problems are confirmed when his will was discovered. In the official document, Caviedes acknowledged that he had multiple debts and financial difficulties that prevented him from paying them off. He detailed the distribution of his few assets and among his debts he recognized 12 pesos, hats, rings and daggers.
Personal life
On March 15, 1671, he married Beatriz de Godoy Ponce de León. The wedding took place in the Cathedral of Lima, in Peru. Godoy was part of the Doncellas de la Caridad, who were in charge of going to hospitals to provide support to those most in need.
Caviedes had five children with his wife, who died in 1685. In his testament he names them all, four men: Antonio, Pedro, Juan and Alonso, and a woman: María Josefa.
Investigation
The Peruvian historian Guillermo Lohmann Villena was in charge of finding out about the life of Juan del Valle y Caviedes. It was he who found in 1937 two official documents with which some details about the poet could be clarified: his marriage certificate and his will.
Lohmann also set about searching the archives in Spain for some documents on the Caviedes family, but was not very successful in the work.
Death
In 1683 Caviedes suffered from malaria, known at that time as tertian fever, although he managed to overcome the disease. It was for that reason that he made a will on that date, as he was sure that he was going to die, which did not happen at that time. He finally died in Lima in 1698.
Plays
Caviedes was the author of more than 200 poems and a couple of dramatic writings, but his work was forgotten for more than 150 years. Most of his creations were collected and published many years after the writer's death. While Caviedes lived, three of his manuscripts were edited.
Interest in Caviedes' work began in 1791, when the Sociedad Académica de Amantes de Lima saw the appeal of the author's life and decided to rescue the poet's work. They were the architects of the edition of four poems that were later published by the newspaper Mercurio Peruano at the end of the 18th century.
One of the most important works of Juan del Valle y Caviedes was Fatal History, feat of ignorance, physical war, a work that was more popular with the title of Tooth of Parnassus. This writing was a satire towards the doctors in Lima
Religion and philosophy were topics that he dealt with in works such as Definition of death, Christ crucified and Litanies of two esdrújulas to the Most Holy Mary.
In 1947 Rubén Vargas Ugarte published the book Clásicos Peruanos. Works by Don Juan del Valle y Caviedes. This work compiled nine religious poems, 66 sonnets, 20 poems on different themes, 37 satirical poems, three dramatic pieces and the 47 works by Tooth of Parnassus that were written by Caviedes.
Characteristics of his works
The doctors of Lima were the inspiration and the recipients of almost all his satires. He referred to them as liars, whose sole mission was to deceive people. He used medical professionals as a point of reference to describe the main problems that existed in Lima society.
It had many similarities with other authors who were part of the Golden Age of literature in Spain, such as Francisco de Quevedo and Luis Góngora.
He wrote all his works in verse. His satirical works served to criticize on a social and moral level against all the aristocratic classes of the time. Although it focused on doctors, it also targeted lawyers, tailors, and many other professions.
The criticisms he made in his work caused him many problems during his life. One of the consequences of his appointment was the inconvenience he suffered in order to publish his works. Many of them only became known by handwritten papers, although currently their manuscripts have been compiled.
Most of these Caviedes manuscripts were made between 1680 and 1696, where his state of mind is denoted, marked by illness, financial problems and the death of his wife.
References
- Becco, H. (1990). Spanish-American colonial poetry. Caracas: Ayacucho Library Foundation.
- Calvo Villanueva, P. (1996). The satirical universe of Juan del Valle y Caviedes. Ann Arbor, Michigan: UMI.
- García Cáceres, U. (1999). Juan del Valle y Caviedes, chronicler of medicine. Lima, Peru: Central Reserve Bank of Peru.
- Kolb, G. (1959). Juan del Valle and Caviedes. New London: Connecticut College.
- Valle and Caviedes, J., & Cáceres, M. (1990). Complete work. Lima: publishing house and Desa Printing.