Baroque Mathematics at THE Palafoxiana
The Biblioteca Palafoxiana is a library in Puebla, México. Founded in 1646, it is recognized by the UNESCO for being the first and oldest public library in the Americas. It contains over 170 mathematics books and manuscripts.
By analyzing the books in the Palafoxiana, we can begin to better understand how mathematics played a role in Spanish settler colonialism.
About Our Research
This project is funded by the Canadian Social SCiences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and carried out in collaboration with the Biblioteca Palafoxiana as well as the Social Sciences and Humanities Institute “Alfonso Vélez Pliego” (Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla). The goal of the project was to study the collection of mathematics books at the Palafoxiana and better understand the complex context in which colonial mathematics was arriving in New Spain where there was already existing mathematical knowledges as well as a burgeoning community of “criollo” mathematicians. We are particularly interested in how the “high baroque” of New Spain conjugated with the 17th century baroque mathematics and sciences coming from Europe, in a time of complex political, artistic, astronomical, colonial and theological forces.
Meet Our research Team
