Abstract
Through a comparative analysis of the two editions of Alonso López de Hinojosos's Suma..., the author of this article brings us closer to the medical culture of New Spain. The work, while anticipating certain Renaissance concepts, obeys the medieval standard of letting itself be guided by scholastic logic. It also represents the fusion of European and indigenous knowledge and, while some scholars could see it as an early medieval formulary of recipes, for others it is New Spain's first pharmacopoeia. The Suma... was intended to spread awareness of medicine and was thus written in accessible language. It covers a wide range of the native plants available throughout New Spain, which earned it the great success it enjoyed in its day. The two editions of López de Hinojosos's work are the condensation of its author's vast medical knowledge and a reflection of the medical practices of his time.