I ponti della lingua. Miguel de Cervantes e l' Inca Garcilaso de la Vega

On 23 April, the United Nations celebrates Spanish Language Day with the aim of recognise the cultural and historical richness of the Spanish language and its importance as a global means of communication. This date is also recognised by UNESCO as it coincides with the death, in 1616, of three emblematic writers: Miguel de Cervantes, William Shakespeare and the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega. In this jubilee year of particular significance for the Catholic Church, this commemoration has a special significance because it will be an opportunity to reflect on the bridges that the Spanish language has built over the centuries to expand and enrich itself, uniting worlds, stories, thoughts, traditions, beliefs and voices from the most diverse origins. It is no coincidence that the Spanish language has been the bridge of evangelisation, especially in Hispanic America since the 16th century. Hispanic America since the 16th century.

The event ‘Bridges of Language: Dialogue between Miguel de Cervantes de Saavedra and the Inca Garcilaso de
la Vega', to be held on 15 April at the Gregorian University, intends to pay tribute to two fundamental figures of literature in the Spanish language. Both, through their works marked the destiny and identity not only of the Spanish language, but also of our Hispanic culture. Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616), one of the greatest literary geniuses of all time, with his Don Quixote de la Mancha bequeathed us a monumental work that is not only one of the
pinnacles of universal literature, but also represents, like no other, the soul and complexity of the Spanish language.
On the opposite side of the ocean, also the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega (1539-1616), illustrious representative of Peruvian historiography, also left an indelible mark on our language through his Renaissance prose reflected in the Royal Commentaries of the Incas, a text recognised as a documentary heritage of humanity by UNESCO. In it, the
cultural intermingling of the European and indigenous worlds becomes a major source of of inspiration. With this event we seek to establish a symbolic dialogue between Cervantes and Garcilaso, two writers who, despite coming from very different backgrounds, shared a passion for the Spanish language and have contributed in a decisive way to enriching our literature and our our understanding of the world. Their legacy continues to be a source of inspiration for current and future current and future generations, and their texts remain fundamental in the construction of our
linguistic identity.

In commemorating Spanish Language Day in the Jubilee Year 2025, we recall that language is not only a vehicle of communication, but also a bridge that unites thoughts, histories and cultures, a bridge that brings us closer, as Spanish speakers and as human beings. The Spanish language has finally allowed the Catholic Church to transmit its message to millions of people in the world and to recognise early on, as a result of the evangelisation that began in the 16th century, the appearance of the first American saints, such as Saint Rose of Lima (1586-1616).