NO. 2 THE DADIANUS MANUSCRIPT EM MART / 



If we return to the sixteenth century work of the historian Mendieta. 

 who went to Mexico 19 years after the founding of the college, a 

 more intimate picture may be obtained. Before the opening of the 

 College of Santa Cruz in 1536,"" the Indians were taught in the con- 

 vent of S. Francisco of Mexico in the chapel of S. Jose. Here " the 

 good father and guide Fr. Pedro de Gante " instructed them in 

 " Christian doctrine and in all the arts and exercises ". " The first 

 teacher in grammar was Fr. Arnaldo de Bassacio, a Frenchman and a 

 great linguist of Indian language, with whom they made such progress 

 that the first viceroy Antonio de Mendoza, true father of the Indians, 

 noting their progress gave the order that they should build a college 

 in the principal suburb of Mexico a quarter of a league from S. Fran- 

 cisco (where we, the lesser friars have a second convent of the name 

 of the apostle Santiago, in the suburb which is called Tlaltelolco). [PI. 

 4.] In order that the guardian of that convent should have in his 

 charge the administration of the college, and that this work should not 

 burden the brothers of the principal convent, the viceroy Don Antonio 

 himself built the college at his own expense and gave certain estates 

 and farms which he had, in order that the rent of them might sustain 

 the Indian college." 



The students at the tender age of 10 to 12 years were carefully 

 selected from the " sons of gentlemen " of the principal towns and 

 larger provinces of this New Spain. " The priests of their native 

 town selected only those who appeared most able, and thus were 

 gathered together about a hundred children and young men." The 

 ceremonies of the dedication of the college were impressive. Among 

 those present were the viceroy, Antonio de Mendoza, Bishop of 

 Mexico, Don Fr. Juan Zumarraga, the Bishop of S. Domingo, D. Se- 

 bastin Ramirez and " with them all the city ". The ceremonies began 

 with a sermon preached by Dr. Cervantes at the convent of S. Fran- 

 cisco of Mexico. Then a great procession marched to the Convent of 

 Santiago, where a second sermon was preached by Fr. Alonso de 

 Herrera and a third and last by Fr. Pedro de Rivero in the refectory 

 of the Friars of the Convent of Santiago — where, adds Mendieta, 

 " The gentlemen ate at the cost of the good Bishop Zumarraga." 



Mendieta also gives us the names of the teachers who taught during 

 those early prosperous years and who quite probably were the instruc- 

 tors of the two authors of our herbal. Fr. Arnaldo de Bassacio, who 

 first taught Latin, was followed by Fr. Bernardino de Sahagun and 



"" Mendieta gives the year of the founding of the college one year later than 

 that given by Bourne and Alerriman. 



