JUAN RODRÍGUEZ FREYLE: BIOGRAPHY AND WORKS - LITERATURE - 2025

Juan Rodríguez Freyle (1566–1642), also known by the nickname “Freyle”, was a writer from the Kingdom of New Granada who was known in the world of literature for having written El Carnero, a book that he developed at an advanced age.

The text is considered one of the best bibliographical references on the events that occurred at the time. Specifically, the book serves as a relationship to the process of the first colonial years that gave rise to the country known today as Colombia.

Source: es.wikipedia.org

There are few bibliographic data regarding the life of the writer; however, it is known that he did not receive a full education during his childhood.

There are even several hypotheses about the causes and the exact date of his death, which is estimated to have occurred in 1642. However, his death could also have taken place during the year 1640.

He came to participate in various military activities and reside in Spain for six years, a country where he suffered an economic crisis that forced him to return to the Kingdom of New Granada.

Biography

Early years

Freyle was born on April 25, 1566 in Bogotá, which was the capital of the Kingdom of New Granada, as the group of 16 colonial provinces located in South America was known and which corresponded to the area that currently make up the territories of Colombia, Panama and Venezuela.

He was the son of Juan Freyle, who was a soldier of the Spanish conqueror Pedro de Ursúa, and Catalina Rodríguez, of whom there are few references. His predecessors came from the city of Alcalá de Henares, located in Spain. The writer is said to have been born into a well-positioned family in terms of economic status.

Education and military

Rodríguez Freyle studied at the Seminary of San Luis; however, he never received the priesthood order because he was expelled for referring to Archbishop Zapata as "Sabata."

Little information exists regarding the education you may have received; despite this, it is believed that the writer never received a full education.

It is thought that he came to nurture his intellect thanks to the readings of the texts of Gonzalo García Zorro, who was a Spanish conqueror who participated in the Spanish conquest of the town of Muisca; He also became mayor of Bogotá on repeated occasions.

Freyle came to participate in a series of expeditions against the Timanaes and Pijaos Indians, which were led by Juan Buenaventura de Borja y Armendia: a Spaniard from the House of Borja who served in the Kingdom of New Granada and became president.

His experience with the Spanish military allowed him to meet the first mayor of Bogotá, Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada.

Stay in Spain

Years after having participated in the expeditions against the natives, Freyle went to Spain, a country where he stayed for approximately six years and where he worked as secretary to Alonso Pérez Salazar. This was in charge of listening to the corresponding parts of a judicial process.

During his stay in the European country he was able to observe the attack carried out by the pirate Sir Francis Drake in the main ports of Spain. This event caused many ships to be destroyed in 1587, when Rodríguez Freyle was approximately 21 years old.

After Pérez Salazar's death, the writer faced severe financial problems that quickly led him to make a drastic decision and return to the New World.

Return to the Kingdom of New Granada

Finding himself in a difficult situation due to the monetary issue and in a place so far from his homeland, he decided to return to the Kingdom of New Granada, where he settled in Cartagena de Indias. Later, he made a trip along the Magdalena River to reach Santa Fe, where he dedicated himself to agriculture.

According to some historical sources, it is believed that the writer returned to Bogotá, where he married Francisca Rodríguez. It is also thought that he may have worked in the tax collection office.

Rodríguez Freyle began writing during his free time when he had reached an advanced age. He was a fan of literature, a habit that led him to develop texts that were well valued for the time.

Death

There are few biographical data on the writer, so the exact date and causes of his death are unknown; Despite this, it is estimated that he may have died in Bogotá, around the year 1642.

Other sources indicate that the death of Juan Rodríguez Freyle took place during the year 1640.

Plays

The RAM

Despite the fact that Rodríguez Freyle began to write when he had already entered the stage of old age and his lack of education regarding the world of letters, he produced a text that was widely accepted by the public and critics of the era: The Ram.

The original title of the work was Conquest and discovery of the New Kingdom of Granada of the West Indies of the Ocean Sea, and Foundation of the city of Santa Fe de Bogotá, the first of this kingdom where the Royal Court and Chancellery was founded, being the head became his archbishopric.

The name of the book was soon replaced by readers by the title by which it is known today, El Carnero.

In the text, prepared as a chronicle, the writer narrated the stories of the conquerors, in addition to emphasizing controversial issues of the time such as family secrets, witchcraft, fraud, among others.

It has 21 chapters and two annexes and is considered a controversial book for the time in which it was written.

Content to El Carnero

Conquest and discovery of the New Kingdom of Granada of the West Indies of the Ocean Sea, and Foundation of the city of Santa Fe de Bogotá, the first of this kingdom where the Royal Court and Chancellery were founded, being the head became its archbishopric it addresses several issues in its content.

One of the themes that Juan Rodríguez Freyle dealt with in this work was the Spanish conquest of the Muisca, who were the inhabitants of the Andean highlands of central Colombia before the arrival of the Spanish conquerors. The conquest process began in March 1537, before the birth of the writer.

In addition, he wrote about the establishment of the New Kingdom of Granada, the exploration of northern South America and the founding and course of the first years of the city of Bogotá, which was the first in the kingdom to have both a chancellery and a actual audience established.

On the other hand, Rodríguez Freyle made a detailed description of the customs and cultures of the indigenous peoples who came to live in the region during the conquest process, as well as the civil wars between these populations and the conquerors.

Other topics that El Carnero addresses

Another issue that was addressed by the writer in El Carnero was the origin of the myth of El Dorado, also known as “El Rey Dorado”, a name that was assigned by the Spanish Empire to refer to a supposed tribal chief of the indigenous group of the Muisca in Colombia.

In the text Freyle spoke about "The Lost City of Gold" and the initiation ritual of the ruler of the southern part of the Muisca Confederation.

It is said that the book also included the first conquerors in Colombia, among whom was his father, who became a soldier of the Spanish conqueror Pedro de Ursúa.

In addition, it is presumed that the story was based on the friendship he developed with the chief of Lake Guatavita, who was one of the first rulers of the Muisca Confederation.

El Carnero literary genre

Despite the fact that the chronicle developed by the writer has a purely historical character, Rodríguez Freyle included certain fictional elements thanks to the incorporation of stories into the plot. This resource was considered of importance for the literature of Latin America at the time.

The work of Juan Rodríguez Freyle is considered by today's critics as one of the most important bibliographical references on the events that occurred during the early years of the colony, the one that years later became the country everyone knows as Colombia.

Despite the fact that El Carnero was made in the mid-1600s, the book was first mentioned in literature in 1785.

On the other hand, its publication was made in 1859, approximately two centuries after it was written. Rodríguez Freyle's historical work was validated years after its publication.

The data provided in El Carnero provide relevant information on the events that occurred in the period of time between works produced by important Spanish chroniclers, such as Fray Pedro Simón and Juan de Castellanos.

References

1. Juan Rodríguez Freyle, Wikipedia in Ensglish, (nd). Taken from wikipedia.org
2. Juan Rodríguez Freyle, Portal Banrepcultural, (nd). Taken from encyclopedia.banrepcultural.org
3. Juan Rodríguez Freyle, Portal Revolvy, (nd). Taken from revolvy.com
4. Juan Rodríguez Freyle, Native Peoples Portal, (nd). Taken from pueblosoriginario.com
5. El Carnero, Wikipedia in English, (nd). Taken from wikipedia.org