George Pendle (2) (1906–)

A strange and interesting book of historical chronology in Latin America since the Age of Discovery to up modern times. The evaluation of more recent Latin American times is skewed and a caricature but consistent with what Pendle had lain out initially. This book is called an essay since it does not follow historical methodology but the author's own choice of significant milestones. Pendle is English (Penguin publisher) and divides up the world, not just Latin America, as colonies and new nations. He tends to discount the value of the Catholic Church except where revolutionaries rise up from its midst to forge new political structures. He says Bartolome de las Casas was a propagandist who exaggerated the brutality of the Spanish colonists to effect changes in laws which could never be enforced outside of Spain. This was a good book for me since I needed to learn more history of the New World aside from the growth of the Catholic Church through its missionary activity.
Colonies are dependencies with ruling by elites with blood ties to the monarchy. New Nations countries who have broken away and have embarked on a republic where land reform takes place where taxation and education become uniform. By the time we get to Cuba's Fidel Castro we have one of the greatest Latin American heroes ever. Castro pledged to return land to the peasants, make Cubans sovereign, provide royalties to workers from all industrial and mining enterprises, confiscate all property obtained from previous governments. None of that happened and only Castro's family got rich overnight. Pendle seems to agree that the Aztecs and Moctezuma were savage rulers and that the conquered tribes were happy to help Cortes and his mounted soldiers. Moctezuma gave Cortes gold and silver to leave rather than stay. Cortes stayed thinking he had found a second Peruvian El Dorado in Tenochititlan. The story of Peru's conquest was shocking and something I had never heard of before. Francisco Pizarro at the time of the book's printing says that despicable Pizarro is buried in the Lima cathedral. It was interesting to hear that the original Inca capitals were Cusco, and Quito. Later, the Spaniards added Mexico City to the strong points from which to import and export goods and to rule in the name of Spain. The length of this book was perfect for me but the anti-Americanism was too strong for my taste. If can find a copy of this, read it. Maps, Brief Index, Bibliography, 243pp… (mehr)