The arrival of a comet in 1681 in New Spain marked the commencement of a significant scientific discourse on comets. This period saw the creation of three notable works: 'Manifiesto filosófico' by the royal astronomer Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora (1681), challenging the notion that comets herald calamities; 'Exposición astronómica' by the Jesuit Eusebio Kino (1681); and 'Libra astronómica' (1690), also authored by Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora.
The 'Exposición astronómica' stands out as an exemplary treatise from the early modern era, encapsulating the comprehensive and undivided knowledge characteristic of 17th-century scholarly thought. However, its publication acted as a counterbalance in the academic landscape of neo-Spanish astronomy, posing a threat to the position of Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora, despite him not being personally targeted.
To restore his reputation, Sigüenza wrote the 'Libra,' dramatizing a controversy between himself and Kino. In doing so, he leveraged his scientific work in the service of a power struggle specific to New Spain, transforming a cometary treatise originally intended for an international audience into an element of academic intrigue with limited impact beyond the city of Mexico. Examining this (pseudo) controversy highlights the significance of astronomical work during the Hispanic colonial period, and underscores how it often remains overshadowed by more well-known aspects such as the production of knowledge about metals