Genus Ximenia
Pictures from Observations
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Probably for Francisco Ximénez (1666–1729), Spanish Dominican monk who went to Guatemala in 1688, where he learned Kaqchikel, or Kaqchiquel, a Mayan language, and is accredited with the conservation and survival of the Popol Vuh, a manuscript dealing with Meso-American mythologies. From 1693, he was a doctrinero (teacher of Christian doctrine) in various parishes before being appointed vicar, then predicador general of Rabinal (1704–1714) and its surrounding districts, where he founded a hospital. Among his writings is Historia Natural del Reino de Guatemala (Natural History of the Kingdom of Guatemala), concerning the flora and fauna of Guatemala, their medicinal and industrial use, and indigenous beliefs about the properties of drugs.