The correspondence between Pedro de Valencia and Pablo de Céspedes

Abstract

The present paper offers a detailed analysis of three letters written at the beginning of the 1 7th century by the humanist Pedro de Valencia to Pablo de Céspedes. The letters give ample evidence of the great and leamed interest taken by both men in the humanist culture of the end of the century, at a moment when Renaissance concepts and theses were undergoing the change towards positions in line with rhetorical Counter-Reformation views. Given that we fínd signs of the close connections between the two humanists and those in other Spanish cultural centres (Seville, Salamancea, Madrid ... ), that several important figures are mentioned (Arias Montano, Aldrete, Baltasar de Céspedes, Luis del Alcázar, etc.), and that the letters cover many different intellectual fields (painting, sculpture,  architecture, literature, biblical study, linguistics ...), these texts constitute a first-class source for the understanding of the complex and fascinating cultural atmosphere of the period.