The Improbable Conquest: Sixteenth-Century Letters from the Río de la Plata (Latin American Originals) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0271065486 ISBN 13: 9780271065489

Publisher: Penn State University Press, 2015

Synopsis

The Improbable Conquest offers translations of a series of little-known letters from the chaotic Spanish conquest of the Río de la Plata region, uncovering a rich and understudied historical resource. These letters were written by a wide variety of individuals, including clergy, military officers, and the region’s first governor, Pedro de Mendoza. There is also an exceptional contribution from Isabel de Guevara, one of the few women involved in the conquest to have recorded her experiences. Writing about the conditions of settlements and expeditions, these individuals vividly expose the less glamorous side of the conquest, narrating in detail various misfortunes, infighting, corruption, and complaints. Their letters further reveal the colony’s fraught relationship with the native peoples it sought to colonize, giving insight into the complexities of the conquest and the colonization process. Pablo García Loaeza and Victoria Garrett provide an introduction to the history of the region and the conquest’s key players, as well as a timeline and a glossary explaining difficult and archaic Spanish terms.

About this title

About the Authors

Pablo García Loaeza is Associate Professor of Spanish at West Virginia University.

Victoria L. Garrett is Teaching Assistant Professor of Spanish and Director of Latin American Studies at West Virginia University.

Edition details

• Publisher: Penn State University Press
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0271065486
• ISBN 13: 9780271065489
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 144
• Editor: García Loaeza Pablo, Garrett Victoria L.