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Chroniclers of the Indies

Chronicle of Peru

Cronicle of Peru by Pedro de Cieza de León Original title:  Cronica del Perú
 

Year:1553
 
Description: Chronicle of Peru by Cieza de Leon is divided in four volumes:
volume I (chap. I-CXXI), about the discovery of America;
volume II (chap. III-LXXIV), tells the story of the Incas;
volume III, about the Spanish Conquest (until now I have not found a good link);
volume IV, about Peru Civil Wars: War of Las Salinas, War of Chupas e War of Quito).
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Flag of Spain PDF format icon  Volume I and II (Conquest and History of the Incas)
Flag of U.K. Multiformat Icon Vol IV - War of Las Salinas & War of Chupas (trans. Sir C. Markham)
Flag of U.K. Multiformat Icon Volume IV - War of Quito (trans. Sir C. Markham)

History of Discovery and Conquest of Peru

History of Discovery and Conquest of Peru by Agustín de Zárate Original title:  Historia del Descubrimiento y de la Conquista del Perú
 

Year:1555
 
Description: This book is divided in seven volumes and is about the conquest of Peru by Francisco Pizarro and the Deeds of the Conquistadores (Almagro, Gonzalo Pizarro, ecc).
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Flag of Spain PDF format icon  Complete work (chap. I-XIII)

Apologetic History of the Indies

Apologetic History of the Indies by Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa Original title:  Historia Indica
 

Year:1572
 
Description: Apologetic History of the Indies is divided in three parts:
volume I, about Natural History of Peru;
volume II, about Incas' History until Spanish Conquest;
volume III, about the History of Colonial Peru until the publication year.
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Flag of U.K. Multiformat Icon Complete Work (trans. Sir C. Markham)

Account of the Incas

Account of the Incas by Juan  de Betánzos Original title:  Suma y Narreción de los Incas
 

Year:1561
 
Description: Juan de Betánzos was a Spanish Conquistador of Perù with Francisco Pizarro. When Pizarro died, He married his widow, Cusirimay Occlo (yet former wife of the Inca Atahuallpa. In that period Betanzos wrote Suma y Narración de los Incas. The work is divided in: volume I (chapters I-XVIII) and volume II (chapters XIX-XLVIII), about history and deeds of the first Inca until Spanish Conquest; volume III (chapters I-XXXIV), about the history of the spanish conquist.
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Flag of Spain PDF format icon  Complete Work (volumes I, II e III)

 

Note: most of internet links points to a (partial) transcription of the manuscript by Marcos Jimenez de la Espada, and cover only chapters I to XVIII.

Fables and Rites of The Incas

Fables and Rites of The Incas by Cristóbal de Molina Original title:  Relación de las fabulas y ritos de los incas
 

Year:1573-75
 
Description: This work is about Andean Miths, quipus (literally knots, or a Incaic counting system), gods and divinities, types of wizards and the Incaic calendar. The main contribution brought by this work is the chapter dedicated to rituals, as they are well described and other authors did not mention about them. The work ends with the story of the Taqui Onqoy, a religious movement born around 1560.
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Flag of U.K. Multiformat Icon Complete Work (trans. Sir C. Markham)

Natural and Moral History of the Indies

Natural and Moral History of the Indies by Friar José De Acosta Original title:  Historia Natural y Moral de las Indias
 

Year:1590
 
Description: This work is divided in four volumes; Friar de Acosta describes the Natural Enviroment he met during his travels. I think the most interesting part is from the second volume on, where the friar describes natural phenomena, flora and fauna of South America.
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Flag of Spain Multiformat Icon Complete Work
Flag of U.K. Multiformat Icon Complete Work (trans. Sir C. Markham)

Royal Commentaries of the Incas

Royal Commentaries of the Incas by Garcilaso de la Vega Original title:  Comentarios Reales de los Incas
 

Year:1609
 
Description: Chronicler Garcilaso de la Vega is the first mestizo writer of the Colonial Era. Volume I is about life and culture of the Incas, while volume II is about Spanish Conquest of Peru and was published after the author death.
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Flag of Spain PDF format icon  Tomo I
Flag of Spain PDF format icon  Tomo II

First New Chronicle and Good Government

First New Chronicle and Good Government by Felipe Guaman Poma De Ayala Original title:  Primer Nueva Coronica y Buen Gobierno
 

Year:1615/1616
 
Description: This is a Manuscript found in 1908 in the Royal Library of Copenhagen. It was written by the Ayacuchan Chronicler Guaman Poma, grandson of the Inca Tupac Yupanqui on his mother's (Curi Ocllo) and grandson of the General Captain of the Chinchaysuyo (Guaman Chaua), on his father's.
It is about the history of andean people: from the creation legends, to the rise of the Inca empire, until Spanish Conquest in 1530. Poma describes religious, social and moral costumes of the Incas, holidays, and politic and social organisation of the empire. At least half of this work is a sharp criticism of the educational methods of the Spanish settlers. The manuscript has also a great deal of illustrations.
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Flag of Spain Icona versione in linea  Manoscritto originale (Biblioteca Copenhagen)
Flag of Spain PDF format icon Volume I
Flag of Spain PDF format icon Volume II

Orinoco illustrated

Orinoco Illustrated by Joseph Gumilla Original title:  El Orinoco Ilustrado, Historia Natural, Civil y Geografica de este Gran Rio
 

Year:1741
 
Description: Book written by the Jesuit priest after his exploratory trips in the area of the Orinoco River. He tells about customs (medicines, foods, sacred rites) of indigenous peoples.
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Flag of Spain Icona formato HTML  Volume I (Colombian National University)
Flag of Spain Icona formato HTML Volume I (Colombian National University)

Hystory of the Reign of Quito

First page of the Historia del Reino de Quito by Juan de Velasco Original title:  Historia Del Reyno de Quito
 

Year:1789
 
Descriprion: This work is divided into three volumes:
  • 1 Vol.: Natural history and geography
  • 2 Vol.: Ancient history
  • 3 Vol.: Modern history
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Flag of Spain PDF format icon  Volume I (Google books)
Flag of Spain PDF formato icon Volumes II & III (Fundación biblioteca Ayacucho)