Unequal Encounters

A Reader in Early Latin American Political Thought

Katherine Hoyt

• Publisher: Lexington Books
• Year: 2022
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781793622532
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Comparative Politics
• Index: Politics & International Relations

This volume presents a selection of the most compelling political writings from early colonial Latin America that address the themes of conquest, colonialism, and enslavement. It will be invaluable for students and scholars of Latin American political thought and other fields in the social sciences and humanities. Katherine Hoyt prepared extensive introductory material that introduces readers to each of the writers, contextualizing their ideas and the controversies surrounding them. The anthology centers the voices of Indigenous peoples, whose writings constitute six of the fifteen chapters while also including women's, African, and Jewish perspectives. Included among the writings are the foundation narrative of the Kaqchiquel Maya and an example of "mirror of princes" literature in which Inca writer Guamán Poma advises the King of Spain on how to better govern Peru. Spanish priests Bartolomé de Las Casas and Alonso de la Vera Cruz make contributions to the philosophical writings of the School of Salamanca on natural law as they relate to the peoples of the Americas. Other writers protest the inhumanity of the trade in enslaved Africans and the Inquisition. A volume such as this one brings greater nuance to our understanding of the continent's past, helping us to envision a more inclusive future.

Table of contents

• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1 The Kaqchikel Maya: “Go to Where You Will See Your Mountains”
• 2 Christopher Columbus: “Took Possession of That Island for the King and Queen”
• 3 Antonio de Montesinos: “Are They Not Human Beings?”
• 4 Bartolomé de Las Casas: “This Is against All Divine and Human Laws”
• 5 Alonso de la Vera Cruz: “The Spaniards Cannot Have Just Dominion”
• 6 Isabel de Guevara: “This Was Men’s Work”
• 7 Council of Huejotzingo: “Our Fathers Knew No Tribute”
• 8 Bernardino de Sahagún: “I Assembled All the Leaders”
• 9 The Inca Titu Cusi Yupanqui: “The Natural Lords that Used to Rule Peru”
• 10 Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa: “The Horrible Tyranny of the Incas”
• 11 Alonso de Illescas: “Suspend the Expedition”
• 12 Luis de Carvajal the Younger: “May the Lord God of Israel Enlighten Them”
• 13 El Inca Garcilaso de la Vega: “Past Greatness and Prosperity”
• 14 Felipe Guamán Poma de Ayala: “Indians Should Not Be Abused”
• 15 Alonso de Sandoval: “The Souls of Blacks Are as Important as Those of Whites”
• Bibliography
• About the Author