ePub The Royal Commentaries of the Incas and General History of Peru; Abridged by GarciLaso De la Vega in History

Review

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Spaniard infighting from the eyes of a Mestizo sonBy Colin PostConsidered the most important text from colonial Peru; Garcilaso de la Vega was a mestizo Peruvian born of a Spanish conquistador and an Inca noblewoman. He was born into a relatively privileged position in Cusco soon after the submission of the Incas; and he identified very much with his Inca roots. While his book was censored by the Spanish Crown and the Roman Catholic Church; he aimed to improve the image of Peru's indigenous people. He deftly did so within the censorship constraints. His account of Inca life before the Spaniards is clearly biased not only because of his aim; but also because the Incas hadn't developed writing. Their history is told and retold orally through the generations; and Garcilaso experienced that tradition via extended family on his mother's side. So a little unreliable in that department; but the most interesting part of this book was the second half; which details the countless small wars between rivaling factions of Spaniards in the first years after the conquest. The Spaniard conquistadores fought various wars among themselves with the stakes being all the fruits of the conquered Incas' labor. It illustrates the caudillo mentality in Latin America; a major reason why Latin American nations have fallen behind North America and Western Europe.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. The only authoritative translationBy Steven EvansThis was the only authoritative translation I could find after searching not only a variety of sources on the www but also bookshops in Lima and Cuzqo. The introduction places the book in context and assists in better understanding the translated text and its understatement of facets of history that contradicted the Spanish establishment view. This is an essential read for both students and those otherwise interested of South American and pre-columbian history.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A great perspective from someone who lived through the conquestBy CustomerSuch detail about the conquest with care taken to not upset the reviewers who could have kept the book from being published. A sad tale!