The Wrath of God: Lope de Aguirre, Revolutionary of the Americas - Hardcover

Balkan, Evan L.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0826350437 ISBN 13: 9780826350435

Publisher: University of New Mexico Press, 2011

Synopsis

In 1560, General Pedro de Ursúa led an expedition through the Amazon in search of El Dorado. Three months later, Ursúa was murdered. His replacement, Fernando de Guzmán, was also murdered. Emerging from the chaos was the Biscayan Lope de Aguirre, who turned away from El Dorado and led his men to Peru to overthrow the royal forces and declare independence from the Spanish Crown. When Aguirre was finally killed, the aftermath was astonishing: hundreds dead, entire towns depopulated, and a nascent revolution quashed.

Deliberately provocative, Evan Balkan's The Wrath of God examines Aguirre, a symbol of Basque fury and rampage, arguing that Aguirre's historical representation as a one-dimensional madman deserves revisiting. Indeed, Aguirre may be the Americas' first true revolutionary, a view shared by Simón Bolívar, among others. 2011 marks the 450th anniversary of one of the most extraordinary and least known events in the history of the Americas, and Balkan's work offers a timely investigation into the revolutionary's life and controversial methods.

About this title

From the Back Cover

Deliberately provocative, Evan Balkan's The Wrath of God examines Aguirre, a symbol of Basque fury and rampage, arguing that Aguirre's historical representation as a one-dimensional madman deserves revisiting.

About the Author

Evan L. Balkan holds degrees in the humanities from Towson, George Mason, and Johns Hopkins universities and is the author of five books of nonfiction. He lives in Baltimore with his wife and two daughters.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of New Mexico Press
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0826350437
• ISBN 13: 9780826350435
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 236