Natural and Moral History of the Indies (Chronicles of the New World Encounter)

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 568 pages
• Published by: Duke University Press 2002
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0822328453
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0822328452
• Book Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.6 x 1.4 inches
• Weighs: 1.7 pounds

Product Review
" The value of this edition lies not only in the quality of the translation and editingof Acosta's History, but equally in the presentation of the text by means of a brief introductionand lengthier concluding commentary highly relevant to the urgent project of challenging the colonial structures and mentalities that persist in the contemporary world"--Jrnl of Latin American Studies, February 2005 "This great new translation is the first to appear in English since that of Edward Grimston in 1604 Walter D. Mignolo's useful introduction provides a context for the book as well as an outline of its contents Scholars and students of the European encounter with the Americas will be grateful for this new translation of Acosta's classic treatise Highly recommended."--R. Fritze, Choice "Readers doubtlessly will be impressed by one of the outstanding minds of the sixteenth century Acosta's fascinating Historia offers us a window through which we can explore the knowledge and values of a different culture across time."--Colonial Latin American Historical Review "This English-language edition of Acosta's work provides a rewarding opportunity to engage the mind of the conquerors Historian Jane Mangan provides numerous insights into Acosta and the various contingencies (theological, institutional, historical) that governed the writing of his Historia. In a thought-provoking commentary that follows Acosta's text, Walter Mignolo highlights the 'border epistemologies' that are absent from Acosta's text, yet that were central to the lives of millions of Indians and mestizos during and since the colonial period. Frances Lopez-Morillas has done an admirable job translating the original Spanish text"--Daniel T. Reff, Anthropological Quarterly "[I]nformative, interesting, and illustrative of many characteristics of its historical location. The translation is graceful and clear. The editor's notes are thorough and most helpful."--James Gaffney, Religious Studies Review "[W]ell edited This basic text in translation is an important contribution to such popular fields as ecclesiastical history and the history of colonialism."--Leonard R. N. Ashley, Bibliotheque d'Humanisme et Renaissance "This translation ambitiously but powerfully reintroduces this text with the tools gained from today's considerations of historical geography and Amerindian historical sources to better understand the intellectual crossroads of Acosta's time [T]ruly innovative."--Anita I. Bravo, Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History "[T]his exemplary translation deserves shelf space in the library of anyone interested in the colonial phase of sixteenth-century Latin America or the concomitant shift from scholastic experiential learning."--James Ogier, Sixteenth Century Journal "Jane E. Mangan's edition and Frances Lopez-Morillas' translation of the Historia is a major contribution to Latin American studies Of special significance to this edition is Walter D. Mignolo's introduction and commentary Frances M. Lopez-Morillas renders an great translation of the Historia, Acosta's elegant simple prose is captured completely by the translator. The work reads so smoothly one might think that its original language is English Mangan's edition is an great example of thoughtful and scrupulous research and reflection. I highly recommend that it become an essential work for consultation by serious scholars and students of colonial Latin America."-- Charles Kargleder, South Eastern Latin Americanist "[S]killfully translated by Frances Lopez-Morillas and adroitly edited by Jane E. Mangan. The book, in truth, is a marvel to behold."--W. George Lovell, Canadian Journal of History "[A] crisp new rendition Both the annotations and the study help put Acosta in a greater cultural and ideological context"--Jorge Canizares-Esguerra, Ethnohistory "[T]he publication of a new English language edition of the text is warmly to be welcomed; indeed, it appears to reflect, and will surely contribute to, growing interest in the histories and geographies of (post) colonial Latin America in the Anglophone world. Translated into highly readable contemporary English that nevertheless remains faithful to the original, Mangan's edition includes extensive footnotes to the text that provide a wealth of background information and suggestions for further reading that will be useful for undergraduates and researchers alike."--Heidi V. Scott, Journal of Latin American Studies Abstract in Translation Review. Listed in American Historical Review, New Mexico Historical Review, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, and UC Mexus News. Also reviewed in The Americas, ISLE and British Bulletin of Publications on Latin America. Reviewed in French in Anthropologies et Societes.

Product Description
The Natural and Moral History of the Indies, the classic work of New World history originally published by José 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, Acosta’s study is strikingly broad in scope. He describes the region’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 "new" 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.
This rich primary text is indexed and extensively annotated. It will be an invaluable resource for historians of Latin America.