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First thoughts on reading the beginnings of Royal Commentaries of the Incas and General History of Peru by Garcilaso de la Vega (el Inca). Something that stood out to me in our reading was the comparison of Peru to a body. The body is visualized into four parts that represent the quarters of the world […] read full post >>

Dearest gentle reader, In a strange twist of events, this week’s reading (The Royal Commentaries of the Incas and General History of Peru by Garcilaso de la Vega) has me thinking about love, marriage and the writers of history. With the new season of Bridgerton just about to be fully released I’ve been drawing a lot of comparisons between the two so join me on this journey of convincing you that watching Bridgerton is actually an educational experience. read full post >>

This week, I found Garcilaso de la Vega to be a fascinating contrast to Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala. The tone in which the two writers presented their narratives is very different despite covering similar subject matter. The Guaman Poma reading took on a critical and confrontational tone that focused heavily on the abuses and exploitation suffered by the Inca during the Spanish colonial project. Garcilaso’s narrative on the other hand offered a more romanticized perspective than Guaman Poma. Garcilaso’s writing seemed to aim to create harmony between Spanish and...read more read full post >>

In Royal Commentaries, Garcilosa opens with a transcription of the oral retellings he grew up with of the origins of the Inca Kings. He writes that before the Incas came, the people lived “without tilling or sowing the soil”. Then, the first Inca prince and princess taught the people to “till the soil, and grow plants […] read full post >>

A few days ago, during one of our classes in Cusco, I asked Jon whether there was some sort of resistance between the Indigenous peoples of this region to call themselves “Peruvian.” After all, the word “Peru” and the concept of a “Peruvian” as a whole only came about with the creation of states that […] read full post >>

week3—Garcilaso’s Kernel of Inca; Excess, Essence, and the Capture of Time— reading blog #5 – Garcilaso’s Royal Commentaries of the Inca I really enjoyed this reading. To be honest, I felt Garcilaso’s writing captured what was missing for me in Poma’s writing. Even though the Garcilaso’s intention may be more ‘scientifically-detaied-oriented’, I feel it has […] read full post >>

It’s taken me a bit of time to get into it, but I’ve really been enjoying Garcilaso de la Vega’s Royal Commentaries of the Incas and General History of Peru. Specifically I am interested in learning about the complexities of Incan society and its dramatic transformation under Spanish colonization. As a Mestizo, Garcilaso is able […] read full post >>

Initial thoughts of Garcilaso's Royal Commentaries of the Incas read full post >>

Initial thoughts of Garcilaso's Royal Commentaries of the Incas read full post >>

Thinking on Guaman Poma and intention read full post >>