![]() |
Wiener Studien Band 139/2026Zeitschrift für Klassische Philologie, Patristik und lateinische Tradition, Band 139/2026
|
![]() |
Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften Austrian Academy of Sciences Press
A-1011 Wien, Dr. Ignaz Seipel-Platz 2
Tel. +43-1-515 81/DW 3420, Fax +43-1-515 81/DW 3400 https://verlag.oeaw.ac.at, e-mail: verlag@oeaw.ac.at |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
DATUM, UNTERSCHRIFT / DATE, SIGNATURE
BANK AUSTRIA CREDITANSTALT, WIEN (IBAN AT04 1100 0006 2280 0100, BIC BKAUATWW), DEUTSCHE BANK MÜNCHEN (IBAN DE16 7007 0024 0238 8270 00, BIC DEUTDEDBMUC)
|

Wiener Studien 139/2026, pp. 177-220, 2026/06/29
Zeitschrift für Klassische Philologie, Patristik und lateinische Tradition, Band 139/2026
This article presents an edition, translation, and interpretation of Pallas, a short Latin epic by the Mexican humanist José de Villerías (1695–1728), which has been preserved in an unpublished manuscript (BNM MS 1594) at the Biblioteca Nacional de México. Comprising one hundred hexameters, this work reimagines the myth of Perseus and Andromeda through the lens of Baroque humanism. Shaped by Jesuit educational traditions, Pallas stands out for its innovative perspective, which emphasises the role of female characters in Perseus’ heroic deeds and thus challenges ancient and early modern treatments of the myth. Moreover, the poem combines mythological and Christian themes, inviting readers to identify the goddess Minerva with the Virgin Mary. Furthermore, the text engages with Mexican regional culture, particularly the cult of the Virgin of Guadalupe, drawing parallels with Villerías’ own Marian epic Guadalupe, also found in the same manuscript. The result is a multilayered text that blends ancient myth, Christian theology, and local traditions, appealing to a broad and varied readership.