books review - regional guide ancient south america

8/15/2019 Books Review - Regional Guide Ancient South America

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A Regional Guide to Books Published by The Hakluyt Society

SOUTH AMERICA

Compiled by John Hemming

This Regional Guide is divided into four sections: 1. The Incas !eru and the "ndes# $. The"ma%on River# &. 'ra%il and the "tlantic seaboard# (. The Guianas. In each section Ha)luyt*ociety volumes are arranged roughly chronologically according to their content.1

! The Incas" Pe#u and the Andes

Memorias Antiguas Historiales del Peru! By Fernando Montesinos! T#anslated and editedby Phili$ Ains%o#th Means" &nd se#ies" '(" )&*!

This volume +as a curious choice for the Ha)luyt *ociety. ,ontesinos-s tet is short /1$0 pages# it is pure history +ith nothing about epeditions or discovery# its author +as a*panish Jesuit active in !eru for little more than a decade# he +rote in the 10(2s more than acentury after !i%arro-s con3uest and had no ne+ sources# and ,eans-s translation +as from afla+ed edition first published in ,adrid in 144$.

,ore importantly 5icenciate ,ontesinos gave eight chronological tables listingdynasty after dynasty of several thousand years of Inca rulers starting +ith 6oah-s grandson7phir +ho emigrated to 8Hamerica-. The boo) has brief histories of many of these fictitiousreigns. In an introduction to this volume *ir Clements ,ar)ham admitted that 9ather ,ontesinos had 8received more abuse at the hands of later critics- than any other +riter aboutancient "merica. This disregard has increased since then. In the 142s !rofessor John Ro+esho+ed convincingly that Inca epansion and hegemony started +ith the ninth Inca!achacuti-s defeat of the Chanca outside Cu%co in about 1(&4 ";. ,ontesinos mentioned theChanca +ar but he moved it bac) t+o thousand years to 8a century after the ;eluge-.

,ontesinos-s lists of Inca rulers derived from another Jesuit 'las sse-s sac) of Cadi% in 1=0 but a fragment reached Garcilaso de la


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First Part of the Royal Commentaries of the Yncas, by the Ynca Garcillasso de la Vega !T#anslated and edited by Cle+ents R! Ma#kha+" & ,ols" st se#ies" ' and '-" (.) and

(/! /The 140 volume contains boo)s 1A( and the 14B1 volume boo)s =A.

Garcilaso de la


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imperialists +ho gloried in their victories and +ere ruthless in suppressing opposition or revolts. The rule they brought to con3uered !eru +as efficient and benign. This interpretationis more convincing than Garcilaso de la


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The t#a,els and %#itings o3 Ped#o de Cie4a de 5e6n

The humble *panish soldier !edro de Cie%a de 5en is hailed as the prince of chroniclers byall modern authors because of his historical accuracy impartiality eye for detail clear styleof +riting huge volume of +or) vast travels in much of the "ndes and above all hisreaching 6e+ Granada and !eru as early as the mid?1=(2s. Cie%a +as a devout Christian buthe respected Inca and other "merican civili%ations and sympathi%ed +ith oppressed Indians.*o Clements ,ar)ham +ho +as passionate about !eru and +as the driving force in theHa)luyt *ociety translated and published all available +or)s by Cie%a.

"he "ra+els of Pedro de Cie/a de e6n, A)-) 1257829, contained in the First Part of hisChronicle of Peru! T#anslated and edited by Cle+ents R! Ma#kha+" st se#ies" 22" (.'!

This volume is a +onderfully detailed ga%etteer of +hat are no+ Colombia >cuador !eruand 'olivia +ith ethnographic descriptions of its peoples places /including the Inca-s lostnorthern palace at Tumibamba /Cuenca and their road system con3uests by *paniards

produce natural history and even sailors- navigation. There are chapters about the silver mines of !otosE the pre?Inca ruins of Tiahuanaco and even the "ma%on forests. Cie%a de5en traversed all this territory +hen going from !anama to Cu%co in 1=(1 to 1=(4 and after the civil +ars. /He had actually sailed to the Caribbean in 1=&= +hen in his teens.

This 9irst !art +as published in *eville in 1==& and fre3uently thereafter. It +as amain source for Garcilaso Herrera Tordesillas and others. It +as first roughly translated into>nglish by John *tevens 5ondon 1B2. ,ar)ham occasionally omitted or mistranslated

passages that +ere unfavourable to natives.

"he !econd Part of the Chronicle of Peru by Pedro Cie/a de e6n! T#anslated and editedby Cle+ents R! Ma#kha+" st se#ies" .(" ((2!

Here in seventy?three chapters Cie%a tells the history of the eleven Inca rulers and the startof the civil +ar bet+een "tahualpa and Huascar. The account is roughly the accepted versionof epansion starting +ith the defeat of the Chanca. 'ut Cie%a has many variations that are+orth study because although not realated to Inca royalty he +as a diligent researcher +ho+ould have interrogated these descendants. There are descriptions of *acsahuaman and other Inca ruins +hose destruction he deplored.

This *econd !art 'l (e)orio de los Incas +as )no+n to !rescott but not publisheduntil 14B&. Harriet de 7nis made a fine translation of both the 9irst and *econd !arts and


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edited and published in ,adrid t+o in 14BB and the third in 1441. ,ar)ham translated fromthese editions and the accounts of three civil +ars have never subse3uently been translated.*o the Ha)luyt *ociety did scholars a service by publishing translations of these chronicleseven though it published the three in reverse chronological order.

Ci+il :ars in Peru) "he :ar of as !alinas by Pedro de Cie/a de e6n ! T#anslated" %ithan int#oduction" by Si# Cle+ents Ma#kha+" &nd se#ies" -'" )&2!

The ,ar of *as (alinas begins in 1=&B +ith the end of the great rebellion by ,anco Inca a prince +hom 9rancisco !i%arro had raised as a puppet Inca. Governor !i%arro +as on thecoast founding his ne+ capital 5ima and his brothers Hernando and Gon%alo had survived ayear of siege in Cu%co. The siege +as raised +hen !i%arro-s original partner ;iego de"lmagro returned from an epedition to eplore and con3uer Chile and a relief epeditionfrom the coast also reached the beleaguered to+n. " royal decree had divided the Inca empire

bet+een !i%arro and "lmagro but it +as unclear +hich captaincy included the Inca capitalCu%co. "s +ith +arring ,afia families the dispute bet+een the !i%arro and "lmagro campsdegenerated from negotiations and confrontations into brutal civil +ar. "ll this +as carefullyrecorded by Cie%a +ho interrogated many of the participants. It culminated in a bloody battlein the *alinas /salt pans at the edge of Cu%co on $0 "pril 1=&4. Hernando !i%arro +asvictorious. Ten +ee)s later he organi%ed a sho+ trial and eecuted the "delantado "lmagro A an action against a senior royal official that caused this !i%arro to spend most of the rest of his life imprisoned in *pain. The ,ar of *as (alinas also contains useful information about,anco Inca-s retreat to the forested hills of cuador and Colombia.

Ci+il :ars in Peru by Pedro de Cie/a de e6n ;Part V, Boo< = "he :ar of Chu%as !T#anslated and edited by Cle+ents R! Ma#kha+" &nd se#ies" '&" )( 0)/1!

The ,ar of Chupas is the longest of the histories of !eru-s civil +ars +ith 12( chaptersoccupying &B= pages. It describes epeditions in the northern parts of the Inca empire and+hat is no+ Colombia A a region that Cie%a had traversed on his +ay to !eru. There isGon%alo !i%arro-s disastrous attempt to find >l ;orado and his friend 9rancisco de7rellana-s epic descent of the "ma%on in 1=($. The son and follo+ers of ;iego de "lmagrodefeated and eecuted in 1=&4 got their revenge by hac)ing the ,ar3uis 9rancisco !i%arro to

death in his ne+ palace in 5ima in 1=(1 and for a year they ruled !eru. The @ing of *painsent Cristbal


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"he :ar of >uito by Pedro de Cie/a de e6n and nca -ocuments ! T#anslated and editedby Si# Cle+ents R! Ma#kha+" &nd se#ies" 2" )2!

The ,ar of -uito describes in fifty?three chapters the early part of Gon%alo !i%arro-s sei%ureof po+er in !eru a form of 8unilateral declaration of independence- by settlers infuriated bythe liberal 6e+ 5a+s to protect Indians. In 1=(( the rebel forces +ere victorious in battlesthroughout +hat is no+ !eru and 'olivia. The @ing sent his first


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&! The A+a4on Ri,e#

#$%editions into the Valley of the Ama/ons, 125, 1249, 1@5! T#anslated and edited byCle+ents R! Ma#kha+" st se#ies" &'" (-)!

This volume contains reports of three epeditions. The first is Gon%alo !i%arro-s attempt tofind the land of >l ;orado and Cinnamon that left Kuito at the end of 1=& and staggered

bac) in mid?1=($. ,ar)ham decided to translate from Garcilaso de la


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best?seller throughout >urope. 'ut it added almost nothing to )no+ledge of "ma%oniangeography or indigenous peoples.

It is unfortunate that Milliam 'ollaert chose to translate from the 9ranciscan friar !edro *imn +hose "oticias historiales de las con!uistas de Tierra Firme /Cuenca /modern>cuador 10$B +ere entirely plagiari%ed +ithout ac)no+ledgement from earlier sources.There +ere four eye+itness accounts by members of the ill?fated ourney: 5ope% nglish translation published by Richard Ha)luyt himself in Principall

"a#igations& vol. 4# Captain "ltamirano /3uoted in "ntonio spinosaCompendio y descripci$n de las Indias /ccidentales /10$# Gon%alo de FPOiga# and9rancisco


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sensationalised about their nudity cannibalism and alleged promiscuity and etremelongevity. He depicted the profusion of novel plants birds and animals of 'ra%il as aterrestrial paradise. ,ar)ham included a translation of seven chapters of 'artolomD de 5asCasas Historia de las Indias /1==$A01 in +hich the bishop challenged most of


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"fter a decade of eploration in 9lorida /described in his Relaci$n /1=($ "lvar 6POe% +assent in 1=(1 to govern Rio de la !lata and !araguay# but he fell foul of the seditious eplorer ;omingo de Irala /+hom *chmidl admired and in 1=(( +as recalled to *pain +here he +astotally cleared of malicious charges after eight years of legal struggle. Llvar 6POe%-s firstcampaign +as against the +arli)e GaicurP +ho are +ell described. The fighting ended inamicable peace. The net campaign +as against the !aiagu epert canoers and masters of the !araguay river then against the related "ga%es /"bipon. He sent eplorations far up the!araguay and across the 'olivian llanos to+ards !eru. ,uch of the Comentarios +as aboutthe feud bet+een "lvar 6P%e% and his rebel opponent Irala.

"he Voyages of !ir (ames ancaster to Bra/il and the #ast ndies, 12181@95! Edited bySi# 8illia+ 9oste#" &nd se#ies" (-" )'*!

James 5ancaster had lived and served in !ortugal and shortly after the *panish "rmada +assent by the ne+ >ast India Company to command a voyage to India and *outh?>ast "sia1=1A(. Its misadventures did not involve *outh "merica. 5ancaster-s second voyage 1=(A = started +ith the successful capture of Recife in !ernambuco north?east 'ra%il. This +as tocapture cargo )no+n to be stored there. In a month of confused fighting against the!ortuguese most of the loot +as ta)en although various >nglishmen and their allies +ere)illed. Richard Ha)luyt included the !ernambuco campaign in his Principall "a#igations.This and a similar account are included in this volume. There is no ne+ information about'ra%il or its colonial or native societies. 5ancaster-s third voyage 1021A& +as entirely to the,alay archipelago.

'! The Guianas

"he -isco+ery of the arge, Rich and Beautiful #m%ire of Guiana? Performed in theYear 122, by !ir :) Ralegh? Re%rinted from the #dition of 12@?! Edited by Si#Robe#t H! Scho+bu#gk" st se#ies" 2" (')!

!ir :alter Raleghs -isco+erie of Guiana! Edited by =oyce 5o#i+e#" Hakluyt Society"2#d se#ies" -" &**.!

Robert *chomburg) +as sent by the Royal Geographical *ociety to eplore the interior of

'ritish Guiana and did this so +ell that he became the government-s official boundarysurveyor of the recently ac3uired colony. "s such he sa+ the seasonally flooded Rupununi plain on the upper >sse3uibo and therefore identified this as the great la)e described bynatives to Ralegh-s lieutenant 5a+rence @eymis. *chomburg) admired and sympathi%ed +ithRalegh and +as therefore delighted to have persuaded the Ha)luyt *ociety to republish hisfamous promotional essay of 1=0.

1=B years after *chomburg)-s edition ;r 5orimer studied an original manuscript in5ambeth !alace 5ondon and published this alongside a printed version of Ralegh-s

pamphlet. In an Introduction she eplained ho+ the *paniard "ntonio de 'errEo had for decades obsessively searched for the fabulous land of >l ;orado ho+ his young eplorer

;omingo de


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privateer. This inspired the >li%abethan sea?dog in 1== to capture and interrogate 'errEo onTrinidad island and then himself to visit /and claim for his Kueen the lo+er 7rinoco.The +isco#erie& +as of course misnamed because there had been no discovery. InsteadRalegh summari%ed previous attempts to find >l ;orado including his o+n. He thenchallenged ambitious men to colonise Guiana 8a countrey that hath yet her ,aydenheadneuer sac)t turned nor +rought- +ith its graves and mines still full of gold and treasure.5orimer also includes important documents from >nglish and *panish sources aboutRalegh-s epeditions in the 1=2s and his pleas for release from imprisonment by @ing JamesI in order to find the gold mine he thought that he had seen in 1==.

A Relation of a Voyage to Guiana by Robert Harcourt, 1@15! Edited by Si# C! Ale?ande#Ha##is" &nd se#ies" .*" )&( 0)&.1!

Robert Harcourt of landed gentry in 7fordshire obtained letters patent from @ing James Ito colonise all the Guianas from the "ma%on to the >sse3uibo. This Relation published in5ondon in 101& described Harcourt-s voyage in three small ships in 102 that landed atMiapoco /the 7yapoc) or 7iapo3ue River the modern boundary bet+een 'ra%il and Guyane9ranaise /Cayenne. Harcourt +as greeted by chiefs of the "ra+a)?spea)ing "ruVW!ali)ur +ho had been in >ngland +ith Malter Raleigh and he helped ma)e peace +ith their Carib?spea)ing GalibE enemies. There is some anthropological information about indigenousceremony and burials but more about natural history A particularly crops /manioc mai%egums dyes /annatto genipap pharmaceutical plants timber trees tobacco balsam etc.Harcourt and his men eplored far up the 7yapo) and ,aroni rivers and inland in a vainsearch for gold or other mines. He listed many tributary rivers and indigenous peoples

particularly Carib !uru)oto. "ll this +as intended to attract colonists and Harcourt includedregulations for the government of his hoped?for plantation but it never materiali%ed. Thevolume includes a passage from Purchas his Pilgrimes +hich +as a report to Harcourt aboutthe ,aroni eploration.

Joyce 5orimer put Harcourt-s voyage into the contet of other >nglish and Irishattempts at settlement in Ha)luyt *ociety $nd series 1B1 14 /described in the "ma%onRiver section above. The voyage +as also mentioned in


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research rather than a narrative or ournal of discovery as is usually published by the Ha)luyt*ociety. *torm too) delight in the to+ns and forts he built or embellished in the eplorationshe organised and treaties he made +ith indigenous peoples /notably ,a)ui Mapiana and"yoreo in !ortuguese spellings. There is surprisingly little about the ,anoa /,anau peopleof the middle Rio 6egro +hom 'ra%ilians accused of being too pro?;utch and +hom theydefeated ust before *torm-s term of office. His letters cover a period of great prosperity for the colony +ith a shift from cacao and coffee to sugar /in ;emerara. "s +ith most internaldespatches to superiors *torm-s constantly beg for more supplies A notably basic food and"frican slaves A and complain about his o+n ill?health and over+or) conditions in thecolony and a feeling that the authorities gave it less attention than adacent *uriname.Mritten in lively and informative style they give a vivid picture of life in a forested colonial

bac)+ater.

"he Guiana "ra+els of Robert !chomburgsse3uibo being the first to survey its source by a star fi. He

named the largest lily 8ictoria regia in honour of the ne+ Kueen. Crossing the Rupununi plateau to 9ort *Vo Joa3uim on the upper Rio 'ranco in 'ra%il he investigated ,ountRoraima. *chomburg) then decided to ma)e a stupendous circuit. 9rom the 9ort his Indianstoo) him up the rapid?infested raricoera over a +atershed to the upper 7rinoco through theCasi3uiare Canal to the upper Rio 6egro do+n it to the confluence of the 'ranco and up thisto return to *Vo Joa3uim almost a year after he had left. This +as real eploration involvingformidable rivers and untraversed terrain. *chomburg) had all the necessary attributes being)eenly interested in indigenous peoples botany all elements of natural history geographyriverban) society and even politics. His surveying and cartography +ere meticulous and his+riting +as accurate informative and at times lyrical. !rofessor RiviXre blends

*chomburg)-s correspondence particularly +ith the RG* +ith his ournals and the originalsof reports published in the *ociety-s Journal. The second Ha)luyt *ociety volume covers the boundary +or) in 14&=A(( for +hich he +as )nighted. This included arduous epeditionsnotably traverses of the largely uneplored Cuyuni and Tacutu rivers A the latter forming thecurrent frontier bet+een Guyana and 'ra%il than)s in part to *chomburg)-s +or).

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books review - regional guide ancient south america

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