Gerónimo de Mendieta

Gerónimo de Mendieta, also Jerónimo de Mendieta (* 1525 in Vitoria, † 1604 Mexico City) was a Spanish missionary and historian.

Life

Mendieta joined the Franciscan Order in 1554 and went to New Spain (Mexico), where he soon distinguished himself as a tireless supervisor of the Indians. When he was in Spain 1569-1573, he spread his view that the living conditions of the Indians would have to be improved. He then returned to the New World and has held various church positions near Mexico held city where he died. 1596 he finished his "Historia eclesiastica indiana", but until 1870 remained in manuscript form. The work describes the Christianization of New Spain and the Caribbean since the arrival of Christopher Columbus and is characterized by open criticism of the colonization.

• Historian
• Christian missionary
• Spaniard
• Born in 1525
• Died in 1604
• Man