A letter of Marcus Antonius Kappus to Eusebius Franciscus Kino (Sonora in 1690)

Abstract

The life and work of the Slovene Jesuit, Marcus Antonius Kappus (1657 -1717) who, three centuries ago, worked as a missionary in Sonora, north-west Mexico, has, in recent years, been the subject of several short studies in Slovenia. In this journal, Professor Janez Stanonik has, so far, published five letters which Kappus sent home to his relatives and friends, and one letter which he sent to hi s friend in Vienna, as well as a study on the collection of poems (276 chronograms) in Latin, which Kappus published in Mexico City, in 1708, entitled IHS. Enthusiasmus sive solemnes ludi poetici. Prompted by the above publications, the author of this paper spent a month in Sonora while journeying in Mexico in 1991. In Archivo General de la Nación (the general Mexican archives) in Mexico City, he happened to find another letter written by Marcus Antonius Kappus.