istocratic, cultivated and
ornate." Blanco Garcia characterizes Colombia as one of
the most Spanish of American countries.

During the colonial period, however, Nueva Granada
produced few literary works. Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada,
the _conquistador_ of New Granada, wrote memoirs, entitled
_Ratos de Suesca_ (1573?), of little historical value. The
most important work of the period is the chronicles in
verse of Juan de Castellanos (b. 1522? in the Spanish
province of Seville). This work is largely epic in
character; and, with its 150,000 lines, it is the longest
poem in the Spanish language. Though for the most part
prosaic and inexact, yet it has some passages of high
poetic worth, and it throws much light on the lives of the
early colonists. The first three parts of the poem, under
the title of _Elegias de varones ilustres de Indias_ (the
first part only was published in 1589), occupies all of
vol. IV of the _Bibl. de Aut. Esp._ The fourth part is
contained in two volumes of the _Coleccion de Escritores
Castellanos_, under the title of _Historia del Nuevo Reino
de Granada_.

In the seventeenth century the colonists were still too
busy with the conquest and settlement of the country to
spare time for the cultivation of letters. A long page 287
epic poem, the _Poema heroico de San Ignacio de Loyola_,
with much Gongorism and little merit, was published
at Madrid in 1696, after the death of the author, the
Colombian Hernando Dominguez Camargo. A few short lyrics
by the same author also appeared in the _Ramillete de
varias flores poeticas_ (Madrid, 1676) of Jacinto Evia of
Ecuador.

Early in the eighteenth century Sor Francisca Josefa de la
Concepcion, "Madre Castillo" (d. 1742), wrote an account
of her life and her _Sentimientos espirituales_, in which
there is much of the mysticism of Saint Theresa.

About 1738 the printing-press was brought to Bogota by
the Jesuits, and after this date there was an important
intellectual awakening. Many colleges and universities
had already been founded,--the first in 1554. The
distinguished Spanish botanist Jose Celestino Mutis, in
1762, took the chair of mathematics and astronomy in the
Colegio del Rosario, and under him were trained many
scientists, including Francisco Jose de Caldas. An
astronomical observatory was established, the first in
America. In 1777 a public library was organized, and a
theater in 1794. And of great influence was the visit of
Humbold