Synopses & Reviews
The
Natural and Moral History of the Indies, the classic work of New World history originally published by Josandeacute; de Acosta in 1590, is now available in the first new English translation to appear in several hundred years. A Spanish Jesuit, Acosta produced this account by drawing on his own observations as a missionary in Peru and Mexico, as well as from the writings of other missionaries, naturalists, and soldiers who explored the region during the sixteenth century. One of the first comprehensive investigations of the New World, Acostaandrsquo;s study is strikingly broad in scope. He describes the regionandrsquo;s natural resources, flora and fauna, and terrain. He also writes in detail about the Amerindians and their religious and political practices.
A significant contribution to Renaissance Europe's thinking about the New World, Acosta's Natural and Moral History of the Indies reveals an effort to incorporate new information into a Christian, Renaissance worldview. He attempted to confirm for his European readers that a andquot;newandquot; continent did indeed exist and that human beings could and did live in equatorial climates. A keen observer and prescient thinker, Acosta hypothesized that Latin America's indigenous peoples migrated to the region from Asia, an idea put forth more than a century before Europeans learned of the Bering Strait. Acosta's work established a hierarchical classification of Amerindian peoples and thus contributed to what today is understood as the colonial difference in Renaissance European thinking.
Review
andldquo;Josandeacute; de Acostaandrsquo;s Natural and Moral History of the Indies is the work of one of the sixteenth centuryandrsquo;s keenest minds. Based on more than seventeen years of personal experience in Peru and Mexico as well as correspondence with fellow Jesuits around the world, Acosta creates a comparative understanding of the New World. This modern translation loses none of the freshness of Acostaandrsquo;s prose and thankfully makes available to readers one of the most widely read and most influential books ever written on the Americas.andrdquo;andmdash;Thomas Cummins, University of Chicago
Review
andldquo;A superb translation of Josandeacute; de Acostaandrsquo;s Natural History into contemporary English that has been long overdue, with a first-rate introduction by one of Americaandrsquo;s outstanding Hispanists. The volume should prove useful to those interested in the natural history of the New World, the history of the Jesuits, and an understanding of Catholic conversion efforts in the sixteenth century.andrdquo;andmdash;Patricia Seed, Rice University
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. [519]-523) and index.
Synopsis
Exploration of th society, surroundings and lives of the Amerindians of the Western Indies and the Americas (what we would call Latin America) as seen through first-hand observations of Jose Acosta and the written accounts of other ethnohistorians, soldie
About the Author
Josandeacute; de Acosta (1540andndash;1600) was a Spanish Jesuit missionary trained in philosophy, theology, and history.
Jane E. Mangan is Assistant Professor of History at Harvard University.
Walter D. Mignolo is William H. Wannamaker Professor of Literature and Romance Studies at Duke University.
Frances M. Landoacute;pez-Morillas has translated numerous Spanish-language works into English, including Alvar Nuandntilde;ez Cabeza de Vacaandrsquo;s Naufragios.
Josandeacute; de Acosta (1540andndash;1600) was a Spanish Jesuit missionary trained in philosophy, theology, and history.
Jane E. Mangan is Assistant Professor of History at Harvard University.
Walter D. Mignolo is William H. Wannamaker Professor of Literature and Romance Studies at Duke University.
Frances M. Landoacute;pez-Morillas has translated numerous Spanish-language works into English, including Alvar Nuandntilde;ez Cabeza de Vacaandrsquo;s Naufragios.