Ricardo, Antonio, 1540?-1606

Antonio Ricardo (Antonium Ricardum) was born in Turin, Italy. In 1569, the Spanish Crown permitted him to go to Mexico, where he lived for nine years before moving to Peru in 1579. In 1578, he partnered with printer Pedro Ocharte, however, the association only lasted a few months. The following year, both printers started working on their own accord. When their association ended, some of the printing implements Ocharte owned became the property of Ricardo.

During his brief stay in Mexico, Ricardo printed many books written by the Jesuits, who arrived in New Spain in 1572. He apparently set up his print shop at or next to the Jesuit college in Mexico City, a practice he repeated when he moved to Ciudad de los Reyes in Peru. Ricardo did not leave New Spain because of a lack of work: In less than three years, he had printed at least ten books, approximately one book every three months. When Ricardo moved to Peru, the Jesuits commissioned him to print more books to meet the demand, especially from the University of San Marcos. He died in 1605.

Sources

Medina, José Toribio, Guillermo Feliú Cruz, and José Zamudio Zamora. Historia de la imprenta en los antiguos dominios españoles de América y Oceanía, v. 1. Santiago de Chile: Fondo Histórico y Bibliográfico José Toribio Medina, 1958. pp. 116-130.