David Andrew Lupher

A very comprehensive review of Spanish reinterpretations of antiquity in light of new world experiences. Conquistadors thought that their conquests surpassed the achievements of the Romans. Their critics argued that Aztecs had achieved a higher cultural level than the Romans and that the Spaniards should instead identify with the Iberian victims of Roman imperialism. The author discusses a broad range of sources, but Bartolome de Las Casas' defense of the Aztecs and his critique of Rome holds center stage.

I would have liked to see the Spanish view of America analyzed from a more general perspective in this book. The author's goes into a lot of detail about who might have influenced whom as he discusses various works, but he rarely puts forth a good summary. There isn't really much of an argument here, it's more of a review of writings in a certain (certainly very interesting) genre. I think this book may be best suited for readers who are already familiar with 16th century Spanish culture.… (mehr)