The Wonderful World of a Cordoban Archivist

The family of José de la Torre y del Cerro (1876-1959) recently donated his personal archive, the result of his work and research, to the Archivo Histórico Provincial de Córdoba (Provincial Historical Archive of Córdoba).

This exhibition on the history of the city of Córdoba is made up of a selection of items from this extensive collection.

Few people have committed as much time and energy to studying the city's history as this Cordoban archivist and researcher. He was prudent, distinguished, and rigorous, exploring the depths of the city's resources, and fighting tirelessly to preserve its documentary heritage in times of particular vulnerability.

The treasure trove of documentary references in his archive makes it essential to pay homage to his memory and to prevent it from being lost, just as he so often did himself when uncovering lives, stories, and adventures from days gone by.

Enjoy exploring his world.

The picture shows the job application José de la Torre y del Cerro submitted to Córdoba City Council in his bid to become Assistant Technical Officer at the municipal archive.

His excellent knowledge of Latin and paleography prompted him to write his application in Latin, using Visigothic script. He was hired.

José de la Torre y del Cerro studied first at Córdoba Secondary School, then the Escuela Superior de Diplomática (the Diplomatic School in Madrid), and finally the University of Madrid.

In 1920, he was made a scholar of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes y Ciencias Históricas (Royal Academy of Fine Arts and Historical Sciences) of Toledo.

His role in the academic world, and his connections with researchers and scholars, meant he was welcomed as a member of various cultural institutions. In fact, when he was made a scholar of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and Historical Sciences in 1920, his close friend, the Spanish author and historian, Rafael Ramírez de Arellano, presented him with the honor.

An example of a report on the state of the municipal archives from 1915

Francisco Rodríguez Marín, the senior official of the Cuerpo Facultativo de Archiveros, Bibliotecarios y Arqueólogos (Body of Archivists, Librarians, and Archeologists), sent out a circular to all of its professional members, explaining that the Revista de Archivos, Bibliotecas y Museos (Archives, Libraries, and Museums review) wished to publish a guide illustrating all the services the body contributed to the general knowledge of the time.

It was also intended to make historical, literary, and artistic research easier, reviewing the funds and resources held by the body's centers.

The report shown in the picture was written by José de la Torre y del Cerro in response to this circular.

On various occasions (in 1915, 1923, and 1929), the Junta Superior de Archivos, Bibliotecas y Museos (Supervisory Board of Archives, Libraries, and Museums), under the authority of the Ministerio de Instrucción Pública y Bellas Arte (Ministry of Public Instruction and Fine Arts), sent de la Torre y del Cerro to inspect the municipal, parish, and notarial archives of Córdoba and its main towns.

His mandate was to "visit the non-centralized municipal and special archives, with the aim of […] saving the wealth of historical documents." His reports recorded the state of the archives, including notes on the condition of the material, and the existence and quality of any inventories.

When he packed his bags and set off around these towns, he endured conditions that would seem unbearable today.

His investigations brought him into contact with mayors, secretaries, parish priests, and notaries. He recorded details in his reports of the state of the archives, noting their physical condition, and the existence and quality of any inventories.

He wrote to his wife from his trip in November 1929 saying, "The journey to this town was terrible, but it could have been worse. The travelers' coach broke down just as we were leaving, and no fewer than six of us, including two nuns, had to travel in a three-seater Ford." On another occasion he complained,"…how tired I am of these outings."

The Provincial Historical Archives

José de la Torre y del Cerro was integral in creating the Archivos Históricos Provinciales (Provincial Historical Archives).

At a time when a major centralization process was taking place in the Spanish National Archives, he reflected on "respect for regional documentation, and the creation and incorporation of regional and provincial historical archives, both judicial and notarial."

In the end, the provincial archiving method prevailed in the design of the Spanish archiving system, thanks in part to de la Torre's devoted work.

Drawing for José de la Torre y del Cerro by Samuel de los Santos

The Cordoban archivist José de la Torre y del Cerro was a friend and colleague of some of the great scholars of the age, including the painter Enrique Romero de Torres, the architect Rafael de la Hoz, the historian Juan Díaz del Moral, professor José María Rey Díaz, and museum director Samuel de los Santos.

His intimate friendship with de los Santos prompted him to intervene when he fell foul of Franco's "purification" and was awaiting execution in Badajoz. "… it may be that the latter [Santos Gener] be spared; my soul would rejoice at this, because he is a good person, and very competent. The poor man finds himself in an extremely difficult situation economically, and, furthermore, ill with vexation." Santos Gener was spared, and created this magnificent drawing for de la Torre in 1938 to thank him.

The German Archaeological Institute

José de la Torre was also passionate about archeology. He nurtured this passion from his youth, and had connections with some of the most prominent archeologists of his time, such as Theodor Schulten. His dedication is clear given that he belonged to the world-renowned German Archeological Institute.

The Cervantes scholar Luis Astrana Marín remarked that "…in 1923, José de la Torre y del Cerro, that incredibly learned Cervantes scholar, illustrious historian and great paleographer, brought to light a volume of unpublished Cervantes documents[…]." In a short foreword, Mr de la Torre stated that in the early summer of 1911, he and his brother Antonio began researching Beatriz Enríquez de Arana and Christopher Columbus, the father of her son Ferdinand, in the notarial archive, going on to say that, "we then found the oldest known documents on the Cervantes family from Córdoba, including two relating to the bachelor Rodrigo de Cervantes, the great-grandfather of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra."

De la Torre and Góngora

In 1923, José de la Torre and three other members of the Royal Academy of Science, Literature and Fine Arts of Córdoba were tasked with organizing the tricentennial celebrations of the death of Baroque poet Luis de Góngora. De la Torre's immersive research on notarial protocols lasted until 1927.

The image shows a deed issued by Luis de Góngora, HM Chaplain, granting works, "both in poetry and prose," to his nephew Luis de Saavedra y Góngora, a canon of the Holy Church. He had drawn them up for him to print and use.

De la Torre's research culminated in an article, published in Diario Córdoba (Córdoba Daily), which—according to Spanish philologist Amelia de Paz—“combined information from 15th century regional censuses with notarial documentation relating to several of Góngora's maternal ancestors. This provided evidence that strongly disputed the traditional thinking that the Góngora ancestral home was located on the current Calle de Tomás Conde in Córdoba's Jewish quarter."

The second article, published in 1927, was entitled "Documentos gongorinos" (Documents on Góngora) and appeared in the Royal Academy of Sciences, Literature and Fine Arts of Córdoba newsletter. "In this newsletter, José de la Torre transcribed one hundred written documents relating to Góngora and his family, and claimed to have found one thousand more. It was the largest collection of documents on Góngora ever published."

De la Torre and Dámaso Alonso

The everlasting refrain: "Great connoisseur of this Cordoban period, could you give me some information? It would be greatly appreciated" is an example of "the preserved correspondence between José de la Torre and [the Spanish philologist] Dámaso Alonso" which, as Amelia de Paz continues to point out, "is testament to how much de la Torre helped Dámaso with a number of his works. José de la Torre: the tireless provider for needy scholars."

The photo shows a reproduction of Dámaso Alonso's letter to de la Torre, requesting information on the 16th-century Cordoban poet José Pérez Rivas.

Garcilaso de la Vega was responsible for creating the Chapel of the Holy Souls in Purgatory in the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, and his body rested there from April 1616 onwards. This fact, along with many more, appeared in de la Torre's book, El Inca Garcilaso de la Vega-Nueva documentación, which compiled all the deeds relating to Garcilaso's life. The archivist thus enabled a better understanding of the last 25 years of Garcilaso's life, spent in Córdoba.

The image shows the sale by the Bishop of Córdoba, Friar Diego de Mardones, of the chapel and an arch of the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba to Garcilaso de la Vega.

Silver medal of the city of Bogotá

The archivist José de la Torre y del Cerro's research gained him great recognition in America, with countries like Peru and Colombia paying homage to him. “The renowned Cordoban researcher's commitment to Americanism reached its peak," according to José Cosano, Director of the Real Academia de Córdoba (Royal Academy of Córdoba), "when, toward the end of August 1951, he was invited to participate in the Primer Congreso Internacional de Peruanistas (First International Congress of Scholars on Peru). This was to commemorate the fourth centennial of the creation of the Universidad Decana de América (Dean University of the Americas): the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (National University of San Marcos)."

In 1948, de la Torre was awarded Bogotá's silver medal for his research about the founder, Lawyer Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. The photo shows a press cutting from the time, with an image from the medal presentation.

De la Torre and Christopher Columbus

In his work, The Family of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, de la Torre wrote: “In the early summer of 1911, we, my brother Antonio and the person who has the honor of addressing you now, began to research Beatriz Enríquez de Arana and Christopher Columbus, the father of her son Ferdinand. We then found the oldest known documents on the Cervantes family from Córdoba."

The photo shows the initial notes on the research on Columbus, which read, “Beatriz Enríquez in a shirt, Christopher Columbus in a nightgown. A history of their relationship by José de la Torre y del Cerro: A researcher of unimportant things."

As María del Mar Ibáñez explains, José de la Torre y del Cerro “uses historical documents to reconstruct the personality of Beatriz, born in the village of Santa María de Trassierra, and her family, their friends, and the relationship between the maiden from Córdoba and the visionary explorer. It is now 1485, when the Genovese explorer arrived in Córdoba, and where the the Royal Court now resides; Columbus recreated it in the apothecary of his compatriot, Leonardo de Esbarrova, on the corner of Alfonso XIII Street and María Cristina Street. Inquisitive intellectuals would meet there, and he undoubtedly met Beatriz's relatives there, too. The author inspects other situations, including Columbus's friends from Córdoba who joined him on his American adventure, and Ferdinand Columbus's relationship with his mother."

The picture shows a gift from Ferdinand Columbus, Christopher's son in Córdoba, to his cousin Pedro de Arana, donating the real estate in Santa María de Trassierra he had inherited from his mother Beatriz Enríquez de Arana.