Written and photographed by Samantha Demangate
Puebla, and its neighboring town Cholula, Mexico, contain many treasures. From cobbled colorful streets to funky pulque bars — not to mention volcanos and a giant pyramid topped with a church — both towns offer quirky experiences. In November 2021, my boyfriend and I couldn’t wait to be there to explore both areas. We had heard of the historical library in Puebla and, being the book fanatic that I am, I had to see it for myself. Biblioteca Palafoxiana lies in Puebla, Mexico, and is the first public library in all the Americas. The library is on the second floor of what is currently the Casa de la Cultura. It contains over 45,000 perfectly preserved texts and is open to visitors.
THE ORIGINS OF BIBLIOTECA PALAFOXIANA
Bishop Juan de Palafox y Mendoza donated his personal collection of 5,000 texts to the Colegio San Juan (now Casa de la Cultura) in 1646. He believed Puebla deserved a public library and made his donation so long that the books were available to the public. Because of him, the library was named Biblioteca Palafoxiana. The collection increased rapidly over the years, amounting to an impressive 45,000+. This increase is due to the acquisition of the Jesuit school’s library archives and donations from bishops Francisco Pablo Vázquez and Manuel Fernández de Santa Cruz.
What’s Inside?
Spanish, Hebrew, Arabic, and Portuguese are just a handful of the languages found in the texts of Biblioteca Palafoxiana. The library holds books and manuscripts of 14 languages, including written works of Nahuatl and Mixtec.
From mathematics to philosophy, the Biblioteca Palafoxiana holds books of many subjects. In addition to having religious texts for seminary study, the library has books from all fields of studies. The broad collection was intended for readers to expand their perspectives while maintaining their loyalty and knowledge of the faith.
Notably, there are 9 incunabula (books of a particularly old age) amongst the collection, as well as manuscripts, loose papers and, of course, books.
UNESCO
The value and rarity of the texts in Biblioteca Palafoxiana are what led it to be claimed as a UNESCO Memory of the World. It has been registered with UNESCO since 2005, guaranteeing its protection and preservation for years to come. The library itself has been beautifully preserved since 1646, but this title comes with additional security.
Final Note
While Biblioteca Palafoxiana is the first official public library in the Americas, it is important to recognize the library system of the indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica. The Aztecs are believed to have had extensive records and libraries of their own. Unfortunately, there is little information about where they were kept. The Maya, too, are thought to have had libraries filled to the brim with codices (hieroglyphic scripts). These records were destroyed upon the arrival of the Spanish, leaving the remaining Indigenous without much of their written history. Indigenous history is often skimmed over. Many indigenous records are lost, so it is crucial that we acknowledge all that we know.
You can enjoy a visual tour of Biblioteca Palafoxiana here: YouTube.com
Did you enjoy this article? Check out another here! Worth the Effort: Packing and Traveling Sustainably
Sources
UNESCO: https://en.unesco.org/memoryoftheworld/registry/320
Palafoxiana: https://palafoxiana.com