Adrián Recinos (1886–1962) was a Guatemalan historian, essayist, Mayanist scholar and translator, and diplomat. Recinos was a student of national history, especially the

Maya civilization The Maya civilization () was a Mesoamerican civilization that existed from antiquity to the early modern period. It is known by its ancient temples and glyphs (script). The Maya script is the most sophisticated and highly developed writin ...

and the ancient history of the K'iche' and

Kaqchikel people The Kaqchikel (also called Kachiquel) are one of the Indigenous Maya peoples of the midwestern highlands of Guatemala and of southern Mexico. They constitute Guatemala's third largest Maya group. The name was formerly spelled in various other way ...

. He published the first Spanish edition of

Popol Vuh ''Popol Vuh'' (also ''Popul Vuh'' or ''Pop Vuj'') is a text recounting the mythology and history of the Kʼicheʼ people of Guatemala, one of the Maya peoples who also inhabit the Mexican states of Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo, ...

, based on his translation of the manuscript found in the

Newberry Library The Newberry Library is an independent research library, specializing in the humanities. It is located in Chicago, Illinois, and has been free and open to the public since 1887. The Newberry's mission is to foster a deeper understanding of our wo ...

, Chicago. He also published his translations of other ancient Mayan manuscripts, including the '' Anales de los Cakchiqueles''.

Biography

Adrián Recinos was born on July 5, 1886, in

Antigua Guatemala Antigua Guatemala (), commonly known as Antigua or La Antigua, is a city in the Guatemalan Highlands, central highlands of Guatemala. The city was the capital of the Captaincy General of Guatemala from 1543 through 1773, with much of its Baroque- ...

, as the son of Teodoro M. Recinos and Rafaela Ávila de Recinos. He married María Palomo and had five children, Beatrice, Isabel, Mary, Adrian Jr., and Laura. All four of his daughters would remain in Guatemala for the majority of their lives, and Adrian Jr. would attend

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, and later became an M.D. in the U.S. while residing in Washington D.C. Recinos obtained his bachelor's degree of Sciences and Letters in 1902, and graduated from the School of Law in Guatemala in 1907. He pursued a public career as a diplomat and was Secretary of Legation in El Salvador (1908), Under-Secretary of State (1910–1920), Minister of Foreign Affairs (1922–1923), Ambassador to France, Spain, and Italy (1923–1925), President of the Legislative Assembly (1926), and Ambassador to the USA (1928–1943). In

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free France, Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command First Army (France), French Army B, part of the Sixt ...

he ran as a candidate to the Presidency of the Republic, but lost the elections to Juan José Arévalo. He died in 1962.

Legacy

Recinos had a passion for Guatemalan history and was a founding member of the ''Sociedad de Geografía e Historia de Guatemala'', currently known as ''Academia de Geografía e Historia de Guatemala''. He was also a member of the ''Sociedad de Geografía y Estadística'' (Mexico), ''Sociedad Histórica Americana'' (Buenos Aires), ''Instituto Iberico-Americano de Derecho Comparado'' (Madrid), amongst others. Adrián Recinos received national and international recognition for his publications on Guatemala's history and his translations of ancient Mayan manuscripts.

Published works

* ''Indigenous chronicles of Guatemala'' * ''The City of Guatemala'' (historical description from its foundation to 1917-1918 earthquakes) * ''Monographs of the Department of Huehuetenango''

Original Spanish language editions

* * * * * * * * * *

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Recinos, Adrian Ministers of foreign affairs of Guatemala Guatemalan diplomats Guatemalan essayists Male essayists 20th-century Guatemalan historians Guatemalan Mesoamericanists Guatemalan translators Mayanists 1886 births 1962 deaths 20th-century Mesoamericanists Historians of Mesoamerica Members of the Congress of Guatemala Ambassadors of Guatemala to the United States Ambassadors of Guatemala to Spain Ambassadors of Guatemala to Italy Ambassadors of Guatemala to France People from Sacatepéquez Department 20th-century translators 20th-century essayists 20th-century Guatemalan male writers