The Improbable Conquest offers translations of a series of little-known letters from the chaotic Spanish conquest of the Rio 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 Garcia 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 the Author

Pablo Garcia 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.

Reviews

"A contribution that is an essential new approach to the rigorous and non-ideological perception of the 'River of the Silver' during the sixteenth century and constitutes a great addition to Latin American postcolonial studies."

-Alejandro Solomianski Hispania

"In The Improbable Conquest, Pablo Garcia Loaeza and Victoria Garrett offer English readers an excellent and needed translation of little-known letters from the Spanish conquest of an immense territory-what is today Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia. These letters bring to light the historical background of the first interactions between Europeans and Native Americans of the Southern Cone. This book is a necessary tool for all Spanish American scholars, particularly those specializing in the first half of the sixteenth century and the Spanish and Portuguese discovery, conquest, and colonization of South America."

-Juan Francisco Maura, University of Vermont

"Through the carefully selected letters of participants, Pablo Garcia Loaeza and Victoria Garrett provide readers with an intimate understanding of the harsh realities of the Spanish conquest and settlement of the often ignored frontier of the Rio de la Plata. The vivid voices of leaders of expeditions, clergy, a merchant/artisan, and a woman highlight the tragedy of conflict with indigenous peoples, starvation, a hostile environment, disease, and internecine conflict within the ranks of the conquistadors. This is a book that will provoke discussion and analysis by students in the classroom and in the public sphere."

-Noble David Cook, Florida International University

"The Improbable Conquest offers a highly readable and informative glimpse into an understudied area of the Spanish conquest and colonization of the Americas. The editors deftly render the voices and concerns of a diverse Spanish population in the early years of the founding of the Rio de la Plata-women, clergy, conquistadors, and governors-as a rich dialogue between the Spanish crown, church, local populations, and individual circumstances. The introduction provides a lively narrative of the historical context of the conquest, and the introduction to each primary source situates it within the complexities of colonization and scholarship on the topic. This book offers both scholars and students in a variety of disciplines a trove of primary sources and information."

-Kathleen Myers, Indiana University Bloomington

Book Information
ISBN 9780271065489
Author Pablo Garcia Loaeza
Format Paperback
Page Count 144
Imprint Pennsylvania State University Press
Publisher Pennsylvania State University Press
Weight(grams) 227g
Dimensions(mm) 216mm * 140mm * 13mm