Letters and People of the Spanish Indies: Sixteenth Century

Cambridge Latin American Studies #22

by James Lockhart (Editor), Enrique Otte (Editor)

This 1976 book consists of the public and private letters of merchants which present a lively panorama of early life in Spanish-American society.

Genres: Nonfiction

284 pages, Paperback

First published March 26, 1976

About the author

Academic and historian specialising in colonial Latin America and Nahuatl sources

Reviews

[Fernando · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quoting: "As a final detail, note how don Martin when speaking Spanish uses Spanish categories, including that of "Indian", which was a concept foreign to the alleged Indians, and which they practically never used in their own language, prefering to think of themselves as many distinct peoples. pp 158
Chapters: The hispanized indian, The variety of life in the Indies
Names: Gaspar de Marquina, Maestre Baltasar, Melchor Verdugo, Hernando Pizarro
References: Cartas del Peru-Porras. Los mercaderes Vascos y los Pizarro 1966, Documentos Relativos a Pedro de La Gasca y a Gonzalo Pizarro I y II. Die europaischen Siedler. The men of Cajamarca. Colecccion de Documentos Inéditos Relativos al Descubrimiento y Conquista y Colonizacion de las Antiguas Posesiones Espanolas en América y Oceania VII.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly hilarious with the propaganda (which is what the letters really were) pieces. I would have liked to have seen replies and responses, but at least there was context provided before every letter.