José Corona Núñez (July 4, 1906 – January 6, 2002) was a Mexican author, anthropologist, and history professor who discovered several important archeological sites throughout

México Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. His main body of work revolved around his native state of

Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo (; Purépecha: ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of ...

, and in particular the Tarascan or

Purépecha The Purépecha (endonym pua, P'urhepecha ) are a group of indigenous people centered in the northwestern region of Michoacán, Mexico, mainly in the area of the cities of Cherán and Pátzcuaro. They are also known by the pejorative "Tarascan ...

culture.

Early life

José Corona Núñez was born in Cuitzeo del Porvenir on July 4, 1906. His father was Marcelino Corona García and his mother was María del Pilar Núñez Berrospe. From an early age he attended the Agustino Convent of

Cuitzeo Cuitzeo () is a municipality located in the north of the Mexican state of Michoacán. The municipal seat is the town of Cuitzeo del Porvenir It is located in a relatively flat depression around Lake Cuitzeo, a large, very shallow lake, which is i ...

and helped with the various common rituals.

Education and religious studies

Through his involvement with the convent Corona Núñez decided to pursuit priesthood. He would later clarify that his primary motivation was to continue to learn and given his family's limited resources private schooling was not an option. In January 1920 he began his seminary studies in the San Pablo Convent of

Yuriria Yuriria, Guanajuato, Mexico,(), is one of 46 municipalities in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. Geography Yuriria is located in the "Bajío", or lowlands, of Guanajuato. It is bordered to the east by Salvatierra and Santiago Maravatío, to the ...

, Guanajuato. There he studied Latin, Greek, French, Grammar, Religion, and Mexican history, amongst other topics. He then moved to another convent in

San Luis Potosí San Luis Potosí (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of San Luis Potosí ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí), is one of the 32 states which compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and i ...

to continue his studies as a

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...

and continue his studies. On October 2, 1923, at the age of 17, he became Friar Angel in the

Order of Saint Augustine The Order of Saint Augustine, ( la, Ordo Fratrum Sancti Augustini) abbreviated OSA, is a religious mendicant order of the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1244 by bringing together several eremitical groups in the Tuscany region who were fo ...

. However, the following year he resigned by mailing a letter to the Prior General in Rome asking for his removal. The last religious ceremony in which he participated took place in his native convent of

in which he was disrobed and he removed all emblems (belt, cross, etc.) and signed a document addressed to the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

declaring the acknowledgement of his request, on April 5, 1926.

Career

Corona Núñez received a scholarship to attend the

National School of Anthropology and History National School of Anthropology and History (in Spanish: ''Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia, ENAH'') is a Mexican Institution of higher education founded in 1938 and a prominent center for the study of Anthropology and History in the A ...

("Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia"). As a student he worked wit
Donald D. Brand
in his work "Quiroga, A Mexican Municipio". After his studies he became a rural teacher and eventually director of various primary schools throughout Michoacan. He later became Director of the Anthropology Department of the State of

Nayarit Nayarit (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nayarit ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit), is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 20 municipalities and its ...

, founded the Anthropology Museums of Tepic and Colima, and was in charge of the Anthropology Department of the University of Michoacan. As an anthropologist José Corona Núnez discovered the circular pyramid of the

Ixtlán del Rio Ixtlan may refer to: * Ixtlán, Michoacan, Mexico *Ixtlán del Río, Nayarit, Mexico **Ixtlán del Rio (archaeological site) * Ixtlán de los Hervores, Michoacán, Mexico *Ixtlán de Juárez, Oaxaca, Mexico *Ixtlán District, Oaxaca, Mexico * Radio ...

archeological site.

Bibliography

José Corona Núnez created more than 100 articles and published more than a dozen books throughout the 20th century. Some of the more well known are: * Mitologia Tarasca (1957, Fondo de Cultura Económica) * Historia de los Antiguos Habitantes de Michoacán (1988, Balsar Editores SA de CV.) * Voces del Pasado (1995, Centro de Estudios Cultura Nicolaita ) * Diccionario Geográfico Tarasco-Náhuatl (1993, UMSNH) * Curácuaro de Morelos (1991, Centro de Estudios Cultura Nicolaita)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corona Nunez, Jose 1906 births 2002 deaths Mexican anthropologists 20th-century Mexican historians Mexican male writers National School of Anthropology and History alumni People from Michoacán Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo faculty 20th-century anthropologists