LITERATURE OF THE COLONY IN NUEVA GRANADA: CONTEXT, CHARACTERISTICS - LITERATURE - 2025

The literature of the Colony in Nueva Granada was made up of a series of written productions that, in some way, exerted an important influence in the configuration of a distinctive civility. This was shaped by the economic, social and political circumstances that characterized this political-administrative zone.

In this sense, a set of economic and political reforms allowed the New Granada area to enjoy a period of relative prosperity and intense intellectual and cultural activity. There was a sudden appearance of a body of Creole intellectuals (American-born whites). Many of them held government positions.

Portrait of Juan de Castellanos, representative of New Granada literature (1589)

Under the protection of this political power, the intellectual creoles undertook the task of promoting the development of what is now called the literature of the Colony in New Granada.

As a result of this management, literary movements were installed and the first newspapers appeared. Also, the public library and the royal printing press were founded.

The literary creation gave wide resonance to the results of the botanical expeditions to the interior of the continent that had their peak in that period. In particular, illustrated poetry took science in the New World as its main theme. Literature, hand in hand with Granada's intellectuals, promoted culture among the people.

Simultaneously, the moralizing fable and the satirical theater appeared. The first proposed moral norms to regulate the coexistence between humans. Meanwhile, the satirical theater attacked with derision and mockery the actions and customs that deviated from those suggested moral norms.

During the entire process of colonization of New Granada, the greatest weight of responsibilities fell on the shoulders of the Catholic Church. In this way, a Christian faith based on solid morals was propagated. This message penetrated deeply into the New Granada writers.

Historic context

The Hispanic period in the lands of present-day Colombia spanned a period of three centuries from the 15th century. During that time, the region known as La Nueva Granada went through two stages.

In the first, the Spanish founded what they called the Kingdom of New Granada or New Kingdom of Granada (1549), encompassing the current territories of Colombia, Panama, and Venezuela.

Later, in 1717, the Kingdom of New Granada was transformed by royal decree into the Viceroyalty of New Granada, and it remained until 1819.

Since its foundation, the New Granada territory maintained a tight control of the peninsular Spaniards. This situation remained unchanged until the advent of the new viceroyalty.

The foundation, population and development of the Viceroyalty of New Granada was accompanied by the ideas of openness to political control (especially by the Creoles). These, being the most prepared intellectually, used literature as a means of disseminating their ideas.

The viceroyalty then became a hotbed of ideas. The sciences were especially favored by depriving the sense of reason in the daily actions of those who promoted these changes. themes such as love, historical chronicles and new forms of social grouping began to be re-explored.

characteristics

The main characteristic of colonial literature in New Granada was its Americanist character. All the writing-generating topics were approached from a point of view different from the European one. Some authors even criticized the actions of the expeditionary Spaniards against the aboriginal population.

Likewise, others addressed the issue of white Creoles marginalized from political power. The neogranadino point of view was supported by the ideas of the French Revolution.

Progressively, the literati approached the issue of control of the colonies with a growing radicalism that at times bordered on insurrection.

Frequent Topics

The themes of colonial literature in New Granada were mainly the narratives of the heroic adventures of the conquest. Chronicles of the Indies, religious devotion and love themes were also frequent themes.

In reference to love issues, the role of women was rethought with moralizing and exemplary objectives. The works criticized the misuse of beauty by them. Especially when it was aimed at taking advantage of the man.

Other moralizing topics addressed included jealousy, lust, and backbiting. On the other hand, the Spanish exploitation of the gold of New Granada and the exclusion of the Creoles in the decisions of the viceroyalty were also criticized.

Featured authors and works

Juan de Castellanos (Seville, 1522-Tunja, 1607)

Juan de Castellanos was a priest and chronicler of the Indies of the colonial era and one of the most prominent representatives of the literature of the colony in New Granada.

According to his biographers, Castellanos arrived in the New World while still a teenager and embarked on multiple expeditions to the interior of the continent.

Thus, Juan de Castellanos was an eyewitness to all the stories that he would later write in the form of chronicles. After an intense period as an adventurer, he decided to retire to spiritual life and ordained himself as a priest in 1559. Then, he combined his priestly duties with the cultivation of literature.

Of his literary work, three works transcended, all of a historical nature. The first and most famous was Elegies of Illustrious Men of the Indies (1859). This work was the detailed account of the history of the discovery, conquest and colonization of Spanish America.

Later, he wrote History of the New Kingdom of Granada and Speech of Captain Francis Drake. Also they are attributed Indiana History, Book of eighth rhymes of the life and Death and miracles of San Diego de Abalá, Unfortunately, these manuscripts have disappeared. For this reason, they did not manage to transcend until present times.

Juan Rodríguez Freyle (Bogotá, 1566-1642)

Juan Rodríguez Freyle was a writer of Colombian origin. You don't have much information about his personal life. It is known that, as a soldier, he took part in numerous expeditions of conquest in American territory. Nor are there many details of his death or his descendants.

Now, his contribution to the literature of the Colony in New Granada was presented in the form of a book entitled El Carnero. This production was written between 1636 and 1638, at the end of his life. Su is an important source of information about some historical events in colonial times of what would later become Colombia.

However, recent research has shown that the writers of that period sometimes gave priority to the artistic part of their works over the veracity of the facts. Therefore, they assume that Rodríguez Freyle's stories may not be so close to what really happened.

It is suspected that some facts came from accounts without confirmation. On the other hand, it is thought that the figures of some characters could have been presented in a grand way without this necessarily corresponding to reality.

Hernando Domínguez Camargo (Bogotá, 1606-Tunja, 1659)

Domínguez Camargo was a Colombian Jesuit priest and poet. Although there is a lot of imprecision around his life, his biographers have managed to gather enough evidence about the life and artistic career of who they have called "the Spanish-American Góngora."

However, his most relevant work Heroic Poem (1666) was an unfinished work that began before taking his priestly vows. Other pieces also came out of his pen such as A la Passion de Cristo, A la muerte de Adonis and A un jump over which the Chillo stream falls.

Likewise, their titles Invectiva apoloética, A don Martín de Saavedra y Guzmán (sonnet) and A Guatavita (satirical sonnet) are also representative of the literature of the Colony in New Granada.

Pedro de Solís y Valenzuela (Bogotá, 1624-1711)

Considered together with Rodríguez Freyle as an important representative of the literature of the Colony in New Granada, Pedro de Solís was a Jesuit and man of letters from Bogotá.

His work The Prodigious Desert and The Prodigy of the Desert (1650) dominated the narrative of the seventeenth century. This work is considered the first Latin American novel.

Pedro de Solís also published works such as San Bruno, In Praise of the Seraphim of Solitudes and The Brief Epitome of the Life and Death of the Illustrious Doctor Don Bernardino de Almansa, among others.

Other titles such as The Wake Up of Life, Mother Sor Ana de San Antonio and Christian Rhetoric were never published, although their authorship is not disputed.

Francisco Álvarez de Velasco y Zorrilla (Bogotá, 1647- Madrid, 1708)

Considered among the great artists of colonial New Granada, Velasco y Zorrilla was a poet of Bogota origin. His work is considered a precursor of neoclassicism.

He is also considered the first of the American poets. Francisco Álvarez incorporated typical American words and idioms into his poems.

His masterpiece was the poem Rhythmica sacra, moral y laudatoria (1703). Among other titles of his production is Vuelve a su quinta Anfriso solo y viudo, Carta en dirés (addressed to the poet Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz) and Apología or speech in prose on the Militia Angelica and Cíngulo de Santo Tomás.

Francisca Josefa del Castillo (Tunja, 1671-1742)

Francisca Josefa del Castillo was a Poor Clare nun and a poet recognized among the outstanding writers of colonial literature in New Granada. Although her work was not very extensive, it was very intense due to the mystical feelings of her Christian faith.

The same year of her vows as a nun she wrote Spiritual Affections (1694). This is considered her masterpiece and in it she turns her love for God through a series of poems.

One of his best known poetic works is included in this collection of poems and is entitled Affection 45: Deliquios of Divine Love in the heart of the creature, and in the agonies of the garden.

She was also the author of Vida (autobiography begun in 1713). Del Castillo was an Inspired Poet who left numerous short compositions in both verse and prose. After her death, many of her writings, which were still unknown, were recovered and published.

References

1. New Granada School. (s / f). Elementary Library: Colombian Colonial Period. Taken from /libguides.cng.edu.
2. Encyclopædia Britannica. (2018, August 11). Viceroyalty of New Granada. Taken from.britannica.com.
3. Spain, G. (s / f). Illustrated New Granada Literature. Taken from Bibliotecanacional.gov.co.
4. National university of Colombia. (s / f). History of literature in Nueva Granada. Taken from bdigital.unal.edu.co.
5. Biography and lives. (s / f). Juan de Castellanos. Taken from biografiasyvidas.com
6. University of Wisconsin. (s / f). Juan Rodríguez Freyle. Taken from uwosh.edu.
7. Cultural network of the Bank of the Republic of Colombia. (s / f). Hernando Domínguez Camargo. Taken from encyclopedia.banrepcultural.org.
8. Rodríguez Ruiz, JA (s / f). The prodigious desert and desert wonder. The Fable and the disaster. Taken from javeriana.edu.co.
9. Rodríguez Arenas, FM (s / f). Colombian and Colombian Literature (colony and 19th century). Taken from magazines.pedagogica.edu.co.
10. The biography. (s / f). Biography of Francisca Josefa del Castillo y Guevara (1672-1742). Taken from thebiography.us.