''Fray'' Pedro Simón ( San Lorenzo de la Parrilla,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, 1574 - Ubaté, New Kingdom of Granada, ca. 1628) was a Spanish

franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ...

, professor and

chronicler A chronicle ( la, chronica, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and lo ...

of the indigenous peoples of modern day Colombia and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

, at the time forming the New Kingdom of Granada. Pedro Simón is one of the most important

Muisca scholars The Muisca (also called Chibcha) are an indigenous peoples of Colombia, indigenous people and Pre-Columbian cultures of Colombia, culture of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, Colombia, that formed the Muisca Confederation before the Spanish conq ...

forming the basis for later scholars such as

Lucas Fernández de Piedrahita Lucas Fernández de Piedrahita (1624, Bogotá – March 29, 1688) was a Spanish Neogranadine Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Panamá (1676–1688) ''(in Latin)'' and the Bishop of Santa Marta (1668–1676).Arzobispo de Pan ...

Alexander von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister, ...

Javier Ocampo López Javier Ocampo López (born 19 June 1939) is a Colombian historian, writer, folklorist and professor. He has been important in the fields of Colombian folklore and history of Latin America and Colombia, especially contributing on the department ...

and many others.

Biography

Pedro Simón studied in Cartagena, Spain and went to Cartagena de Indias in 1603.Biography Pedro Simón
- Biografías y Vidas Simón accompanied Juan de Borja and described his war against the

Pijao The Pijao (also Piajao, Pixao, Pinao) are an indigenous people from Colombia. Ethnography The Pijao or Pijaos formed a loose federation of Amerindians and were living in the present-day department of Tolima, Colombia. In pre-Columbian time ...

in 1608.Biography Pedro Simón
- Cervantes Institute On June 3, 1623 he was named ''Custodio de la Provincia Franciscana del Nuevo Reino de Granada'' ("custodian of the franciscan province of the New Kingdom of Granada").Biography Pedro Simón
- Pueblos Originarios In this year he started writing his most notable work ''Noticias historiales de las conquistas de Tierra Firme en las Indias Occidentales'', published in Cuenca, Spain in 1626 or 1627. Later editions were published in Bogotá in 1882–1892, 1953, 1963 and 1982. One part has been published in English under the title "Expedition of Pedro de Ursua and Lope de Aguirre" (London, 1861) and 2010.The Expedition of Pedro de Ursua and Lope de Aguirre in Search of El Dorado and Omagua in 1560–1 - Translated from Fray Pedro Simon's Sixth Historical Notice of the Conquest of Tierra Firme by William Bollaert
/ref> After finishing this work, Simón settled in the San Diego

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglic ...

in Ubaté, Cundinamarca, where he died between October 1626 and May 7, 1628.

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Pedro Spanish Roman Catholic missionaries 17th-century Spanish historians History of Colombia History of Venezuela Muisca scholars 1574 births Year of death uncertain Roman Catholic missionaries in Colombia Spanish Franciscans Franciscan missionaries

Biography

See also

References

Bibliography