"Brevissima relacion de la destruycion de las Indias," Sevilla, 1552. Of this polemic and strongly tinged memoir there are innumerable versions.—I know of Spanish publications besides the above, and those of London, 1812,—Philadelphia, 1821,—both due to Dr. De Mier,—Madrid, J. A. Llorente, 1822, and México, 1822.—Latin translations: Francfort, 1598; Oppenheim, 1614; Heidelberg, 1664.—French translations: Antwerp, 1579; Amsterdam, 1620; Rouen, 1630; Lyon, 1642; Paris, 1697; Amsterdam, 1698. (The last two contain each five papers of Las Casas), and Paris, 1822. "Oeuvres de Don Bartolomé de las Casas," by J. A. Llorente.—Of Italian Translations (with Spanish text). I allude to those of 1626. Venice.—1630, Id.:—1643, Id., and also of 1645.—There is a German translation of 1599.—Dutch translations: Amsterdam, 1610 and 1621, and 1663.—I know of but one English translation, which bears the title "A Relation of the first voyages and discoveries made by the Spaniards in America, &c., &c." London, 1699,—although Dr. Robertson mentions one of 1693.—Las Casas must be used with great caution.
Diego de Landa. "Relacion de las cosas de Yucatan."
Bishop Landa was born in 1524, and died in 1579; his work must therefore have been written between 1549 and the latter date. It was published by the Abbé Brasseur de Bourbourg, in 1860, with a French translation opposite to the Spanish text, and under the title of "Relation des choses de Yucatan."—Republished again in 1864, with some other matter.
The merits of Landa are certainly very great, but the real import of his so-called "A. B. C." ("De sus letras forme aqui un a. b. c." pp. 316-319), has been misunderstood and correspondingly misrepresented. The picture which Landa gives us of the customs and organization of the Mayas is completely at variance with some of his other statements. Much close attention is required.
"Cartas de Indias." Vol. I. Madrid, 1878.
These contain several letters and reports on Yucatan, from the 16th century. I only refer to one, a complaint of four Indian "gobernadores," dated 12 April, 1567, against the Bishop Diego de Landa, designating him as "principal author of all these evils and troubles...."
Joseph de Acosta. "Historia natural y moral de Indias," Sevilla, 1590. I merely mention this author, without entering into further bibliographical details about his work. It has been translated into many languages, and—in part or wholly—incorporated in many general collections of "Americana." He says but little about Yucatan, still his book is indispensable to any one studying Yucatecan antiquities. I also advert here to his former publication, which is but little known: "De promulgatione Evangelii apud Barbaros, sive de procuranda Indorum salute," Libros 6; printed in 1589.
Gerónimo de Mendieta. "Historia ecclesiástica Indiana," written about 1590, but printed for the first time, by Sr. J. G. Icazbalceta, at Mexico, in 1870—Contains much and valuable information.—Mendieta has been extensively copied by Torquemada.
Fray Toribio de Paredes, Surnamed "Motolinia." "Historia de los Indios de Nueva-España," written about 1540, but published in full only by Sr. Icazbalceta in Vol. I. of "Coleccion de Documentos, &c."—Mentions Yucatan incidentally.—A large part of the work had been printed before in the "Documentos inéditos, &c." under the title of "Ritos Antiguos, Sacrificios é Idolatrias de las Indias de la Nueva-España,"—also in Vol. IX. of Lord Kingsborough.—A Latin version, under the title of "De Moribus Indorum" may have existed once.
Yucatan is, furthermore, mentioned in many works of a more general character, embodying information gathered mostly from the sources already referred to. I do not, therefore, enter into any lengthy bibliographical sketches of them.