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October 13, 2025

Classical Models in a Colonial Context: A New Reading of José de Villerías' Latin Epigrams 1 and 2

Key Points

The poems reflect complex themes of regional identity and poetic self-presentation, underscoring Villerías' unique position in colonial literature.
Metapoetic elements reveal Villerías' strategies for claiming cultural belonging while writing in Latin, a language often associated with European elite.
The socio-cultural context of 18th-century colonial Mexico is vital in understanding the impact of Villerías' work and his literary models.
These early epigrams challenge conventional views of colonial literature, highlighting a blending of local and classical influences.

Abstract

Abstract: In this paper I examine the first two poems of a collection of Latin epigrams by José de Villerías y Roelas (1695–1728), one of the most intriguing Latin authors of colonial Mexico. My discussion situates these texts in the socio-cultural context of the 18th-century Spanish Americas and explores their metapoetic function as part of the author's strategies of poetic self-presentation. Furthermore, I aim to show how Villerías combines a refashioning of literary models in these poems to create a sense of regional belonging and (ironically) identify as a Mexican barbarus writing in Latin.

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Classical Models in a Colonial Context: A New Reading of José de Villerías' Latin Epigrams 1 and 2

Key Points

Abstract

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