Un polímata aficionado. Los escritos de Luis Carlos Zúñiga, cura de Escalonilla, durante el reinado de Carlos IV

Abstract

We present the writings of Luis Carlos Zúñiga, priest of Escalonilla between the end of the 18 th and the beginning of the 19th century. We deal, mainly, with handwritten essays, press articles and published letters. This parish priest could well fit into the category of polimath, as he was interested in a wide range of subjects: law, religion, agronomy, medicine, mineralogy, education… All his writings share an agreement with the ideals of Enlightened Reformism, and its moderate and orthodox tone connects with the concerns of Charles the 4th´s governments. We place this individual in the context of a Catholic Enlightenment, and more precisely in a movement which intended that the parish priests should promote economic and scientific reforms amongst rural population. Moreover, we focus on Zúñiga´s better known side: his attempts to decipher the inscriptions “in unknown languages” (the ones we nowadays recognize as Paleo-Hispanic) by the means of Basque language.His membership to economic societies, the prizes he received and his participation in an emerging public opinion through press articles qualify this individual as an unexpected member of Enlightenment (or of some of its branches). In addition, we will observe how he tried to become a savant, notwithstanding the dim quality of his work.