New Spain · 16th century

The first printing press in Mexico

The first printing press in Mexico began working in 1539 in the capital of New Spain. It was also the first in the entire American continent.

Among its first works was a "Breve y más compendiosa doctrina cristiana en lengua mexicana y castellana", of which no copy survives. It was followed by manuals for priests, doctrines and vocabularies in Nahuatl, Purépecha, Otomí, Zapotec and Mixtec.

After Juan Pablos came other printers, such as Antonio de Espinosa and Pedro Ocharte, and printing in New Spain grew through the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries with religious books, sermons, catechisms and government documents.

The MUNAG preserves the Juan Pablos press and colonial imprints: title pages of vocabularies and sermon books, doctrines and religious engravings.