Catástrofes, agentes locales y noticias globales: una aproximación filológica

During the first days of October 1646 on the island of La Palma, in the Canary Islands, an eruption of the Martín volcano caused enormous damage in the south-eastern territories, currently included in the municipality of Villa de Mazo. The news circulates thanks to a carta-relación published in Madrid, Valencia and Seville, in 1647 (and, translated, in Milan in 1648). It is a text written by Alonso de Inclán y Valdés, corregidor of the Canary Islands of Tenerife and La Palma, for Felipe IV. The corregidor describes the event with great precision, reconstructing his numerous sources and referring to the decisions made, with the aim of asking the sovereign for relief for the population. Furthermore, the account of this eruption is also found in two handwritten testimonies. The relevant differences between the handwritten and printed versions that relate the event constitute a notable case study to probe heterogeneous issues related to news genres and, in particular, those dedicated to disasters.