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Wow what a lengthy second half, where to even begin? Guaman Poma in this latter half of his work explicitly reprimands the roles and systems in place under colonial rule that exploit the ‘poor Indians.’ His recounts of the immeasurable pain the colonial state bestowed on the Indigenous population made me quite sad. Stories of […] read full post >>

The part that I found most interesting this week was part 8, the section on Andean society under Spanish rule. In this section especially, I found myself trying to form an opinion on what parts of his views I agreed with, and I struggled to do so. Eventually, the interpretation of this part that I […] read full post >>

Again, its interesting to see Guaman Poma de Ayala navigate through the work as he seems to recognize the disconnect between his positionality and what he’s asking of the King. While last week I was confused by why he chose to disparage the Spanish, this week it became a bit more obvious that it was […] read full post >>

It seems that the author actually does not like the mines given how he specifically criticizes the mines and how they are operated. But didn’t he explicitly say that those who died in the mines died as punishment from God? Now he acknowledges the human factors at play which is very confusing given these are […] read full post >>

After finishing the rest of Guaman Poma de Ayala’s letter, I noticed there was a shift in his arguments for change, using more “evidence” about the people around him in the present and directing his claims to the king by his “consider…” and “your royal catholic majesty”. In the first part he started off mostly describing […] read full post >>

After finishing the rest of Guaman Poma de Ayala’s letter, I noticed there was a shift in his arguments for change, using more “evidence” about the people around him in the present and directing his claims to the king by his “consider…” and “your royal catholic majesty”. In the first part he started off mostly describing […] read full post >>

The latter half of Guamán Poma’s plea to King Philip of Spain takes on a considerable tonal shift compared to the previous section. Guamán Poma starts out by chronicling the details of specific abuses (often even naming whom has committed them!) and also makes some suggestions for improvements. As he did in the first half, … Continue reading The First New Chronicle and Good Government, Week 2 read full post >>

 My initial thoughts on the subsequent parts of the First New Chronicle and Good Government are that it seems to be more chronologically organized. It details key moments of conquest and the eventual demise of Inca rule. Whereas I do still have qu... read full post >>

 My initial thoughts on the subsequent parts of the First New Chronicle and Good Government are that it seems to be more chronologically organized. It details key moments of conquest and the eventual demise of Inca rule. Whereas I do still have qu... read full post >>

As I approached the final pages of the “The First New Chronicle and Good Government,” I found Guaman Poma’s account to be an interesting entry point into pre-Columbian Andean societies and the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. Towards the end, Guaman Poma walks the reader through his thoughts on the consequences of colonization but […] read full post >>