Fiestas Covadonga Recuerdo de los Juegos Florales 1913 Spanish & Mexican Culture

Description

Up for sale is a very unusual and rare piece of ephemera.  It is a "recuerdo" (meaning either a souvenir or a remembrance) of a cultural festival and competition held as part of the Covadonga celebration held in Mexico in 1913.  The commemoration of Covadonga has great historical and cultural importance in both Spain and Mexico, dating to events in the 8th Century (1200 years ago)!
THIS BOOKLET IS ENTIRELY IN THE SPANISH LANGUAGE.  (Note:  I am not fluent in Spanish nor that familiar with Spanish or Mexican culture, but have done my best to accurately describe the contents and to provide background information.  Please excuse me if I have made any errors in these descriptions.)
The item is a staple bound booklet measuring a little over 11.5 inches tall by about 8 inches wide.  It has 24 pages interior pages plus the covers.  (The pages are not numbered.)
The official title of the booklet is:
Fiestas de Covadonga:  Recuerdo de los Juegos Florales.  1913. [Covadonga Festivals:  Souvenir of the Floral Games. 1913.]
It was printed in Mexico D.F. (Mexico City).
PLEASE NOTE:  THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT CONDITION ISSUES.  PLEASE REVIEW THE DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CONDITION AND THE PHOTOS.
Covadonga (constructed from the words "cova domnica", or "Cave of Our Lady") is located in the autonomous community of Asturias in a mountainous portion of northwest Spain.  It sometimes called the "cradle of Spain" and is a pilgrimage site dedicated to Our Lady of Covadonga associated with the Battle of Covadonga (variously dated as either in the year 718 or - more likely - in the year 722 AD).
At the beginning of the 8th Century, the entire Iberian peninsula was ruled by Christian Visigoths.  In the year 711 AD, the Arab Umayyad Caliphate and Berber Muslims invaded Spain from North Africa and quickly defeated the Visigoths at the Battle of Guadalete.  They soon controlled all of the Iberian peninsula except for the mountainous far northern region.  There, according to legend, the Visigoths who had fled selected Pelayo (or Pelagius), the King of Asturias, as their leader.  Meanwhile the invading forces
bypassed the remnants of the Visigoths and crossed the Pyrenees Mountains thereby advancing into the Kingdom of the Franks (i.e. France) .  They laid seige to the city of Toulouse, in Aquitaine.  After 3 months, a Christian army under the command of Odo of Aquitaine was able to break the siege and drive off the invaders who suffered heavy losses.  Rather than directly return to their headquarters in Cordoba in disgrace, the Arabs decided to redeem themselves by confronting the Visigoth refugees on their way back from France.  However, as opposed to the easy victory that they expected, they were defeated by Pelagius' much smaller forces.  The details are sketchy and may be legend rather than actual historical fact.  It is said that Pelagius was able to lure the Arab army into a narrow valley and emerge from hiding in a cave at Covadonga at the critical moment.  The Battle of Covadonga was the first military setback (on Spanish soil) for the Umayyad Caliphate.  It was the beginning of the "Reconquista" (or "reconquest") of the Iberian peninsula, a process that would take over seven centuries to complete!
According to legend, while hiding in the cave, Pelagius found a statue of the Virgin Mary that had been secreted there by a hermit.  He had prayed to the statue and attributed his victory to its influence.  After the battle, the site became a Marian shrine known as "Our Lady of Covadonga" (also known as "La Santina").  Her feast day, September 8, became the occasion of annual pilgrimages and celebrations.
The Fiestas de Covadonga became a part of Spanish culture, but also took root in Spain's New World colonies, especially in Mexico.  According to the book
Preaching Spanish Nationalism Across the Hispanic Atlantic, 1759 - 1823
, by Scott Eastman: "Prior to 1821, priests in New Spain continued to honor a myriad of Marian representations, including decidedly peninsular devotional cults such as those of Our Lady of the Pillar as well as Our Lady of Covadonga."  These priests emphasized that what had happened at Covadonga had played a critical role in preserving the religion that the Spanish had brought with them to the New World.  Their teachings likely account for the annual celebrations of Covadonga that subsequently became popular in Mexico.
The 1913 "Recuerdo" that I am selling reflects the dual influences of Spain and Mexico on the celebration.  On the first page of text after the title page, is an article illustrated by photos of Alfonso XIII (then King of Spain) and of General Victoriano Huerta (who had, in February, 1913, led a coup against the democratically elected Mexican President Francisco Madero). [Side note:  Huerta was a particularly unsavory character; he had had Madero and others murdered.  Outgoing President Taft initially recognized Huerta's government.  After taking office in March, 1913, President Wilson withdrew US recognition.  By July, 1914, Huerta's army had collapsed and he fled to Spain.  There, he began intriguing with German spies located in the US during World War I.  He was arrested and died in US custody.  To this day, Mexicans refer to Huerta as El Chacal ("The Jackal") or El Usurpador ("The Usurper").]
Most of the content of this booklet relates to various prizes that were awarded by a Jurado Calificador (Qualifying Jury) for the best submissions in various categories including song, poetry and others.  One page appears to list all of the major winners and honorable mentions.  Some of the winning entries are reproduced in their entirety including:
-
La Casa de Montejo
, by Antonio Mediz Bolio, which received the Primer Premio Flor Natural.  (This appears to have been the Grand Prize.)  This poem is printed on 3 pages of the booklet.  Antonio Mediz Bolio (1884 - 1957) was a prominent Mexican lawyer and diplomat in addition to being a historian and author of poetry, plays, and operettas.  Bolio mastered the Mayan language and translated many works from Mayan to Spanish.  He served as Professor of Mayan literature at the National Autonomous University in Mexico City.  Interestingly, at the time of the Huerta coup, Bolio, who had been serving in government in the Yucatan, was forced to leave the country for Cuba where he fought the Huerta usurpation as a journalist.
Could the Qualifying Jury of the Covadonga festival have been trying to send a message to Huerta by giving Bolio top prize?
Bolio would return to Mexico and have a distinguished career as a diplomat, representing Mexico to several European and Central and Latin American countries.
-
Canto a la Raza Cantina (Oda Alejandrina)
by Manuel Caballero.  This work occupies 3 pages of the booklet.  Manuel Caballero (1849 - 1926) was a pioneering Mexican journalist.  He studied law (but never finished law school) in Guadalajara, and then moved to Mexico City.  He was an editor for
El Siglo Diez y Nueve, El Monitor Republicano, El Federalista
, and
La Epoca
.  He was known for his reporting during the porfiriato, the term used to describe the long reign of Porfirio Diaz (who ruled Mexico for almost all the period between 1876 to 1911).  President Madero (mentioned above) had succeeded the 80+ year old Diaz.  Caballero initially had supported Porfirio Diaz but appears to have changed his position when Diaz continued to cling to power.  Caballero died on January 4, which is now celebrated in Mexico as "Dia Del Periodista" (Journalist's Day).
-El Rey y El Conquistador,
by Jose de Casas.  This work occupies most of two pages in the booklet.  I was unable to find out much about the poem or the author.
-Caracter de la Lirica Moderna en Espana y en Hispano-America
by Carlos Toro Lema "Orto".  This essay occupies all of four pages and a portion of a fifth page in the booklet.  I was also not able to find out much about this essay or author.
In addition to these literary contributions, the centerfold of this publication contains a collage of 26 photos of ladies (all identified by name) under the title "La Reina de la Fiesta Y Su Corte de Amor".  The Queen of the Festival was Luz Vizcarra y Garcia Teruel.  My research shows that she lived from 1889 to 1960 and was the Fifth (V) Marquesa de Panuco.
PLEASE NOTE:
THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT CONDITION ISSUES.  PLEASE REVIEW THE DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CONDITION AND THE PHOTOS.
Sold as is.
Attention US Buyers:  I will ship by USPS First Class Parcel or by USPS Priority Mail, your choice.
Attention International Buyers:  Unfortunately, it appears that international shipping from the US (via the USPS) has become unreliable, because of the pandemic.  Therefore, I have decided to remove the international shipping option.  You are still welcome to bid on this item, but will need to supply a shipping address in the US.  I'm sorry for the inconvenience.  Thank you for your understanding.