Quechua Prayer Book, possibly from Chile
- Description:
- This manuscript contains pictographic representations of various religious texts, including the Apostles’ Creed, Salve Regina, and Ave Maria. This page depicts the Ten Commandments. The manuscript is a mnemonic aid and not a rebus; each symbol is a semantic sign and illustrates a complex idea or meaning. For example, the man with his leg wrapped around a woman depicts the act of adultery in the 6th commandment, and covetousness in the 10th. Because each symbol can have multiple meanings, translation would be almost impossible if the material were not already known or, in this case, labelled at the top of each page in Quechua and occasionally Spanish. Since it is not phonetic, the text can be read by speakers of any language. Catechisms such as this one were used by Catholic missionaries to spread Christianity despite linguistic difficulties. This catechism would have been used to teach people who belonged to the Quechua-speaking community but could not necessarily read. The art represented in the book shows a clearly European influence on native culture. The capes, suits, and hats shown in the pictographs were common in Europe in the nineteenth century, and would have been brought to the Andes by the mid-nineteenth century. Purchased as part of the Huntington Free Library, 2004.
- Date:
- 1800s
- Physical Location:
- 9056, Bd. Ms.
- Cite As:
- Quechua Prayer Book, 1800s, possibly from Chile.