Books in the Andes: The Stolen Library of the Indigenous Priest Fernando Ramos Titu Atauchi (1809)

Abstract

The library of the indigenous priest Fernando Ramos Titu Atauchi reveals a history of books as objects in the rural Andes of the Viceroyalty of Perú, an area not usually associated with reading. In the first decade of the 19^th century, the doctrinaire’s book collection suffered a drastic reduction in the High-Andean doctrine, an area far from the more active circles of the book commerce of the period. Focusing on the study of the library, the article discusses the notion of books at the end of the viceregal period and includes themes such as the pathways to literacy, the possession of books by Indians and the mechanisms for acquiring these goods in the Peruvian highlands. The study then focuses on the collection recompiled by the indigenous clergyman in Umachiri (Puno, Perú), highlighting the size and, above all, the religious theme of the titles collected, among which the Ritual Formulario (1631) of Juan Pérez Bocanegra, a manual for catechism published in Quechua from Cuzco, stands out. Finally, taking into consideration the immediate environment of Priest Fernando, the article offers an explanation for the reduction of the collection, paying attention to the symbolic and economic value of the books. All things considered, a new interpretation of the significance of the culture of printing in the indigenous communities at the end of the colonial period is proposed.