Precolumbian America: The Cord Keepers
Notes for 1/21:
The Huarochiri Manuscript was created sometime between 1598 and 1608. It represents a collaboration between the Quechua author and the Jesuit Francisco de Avila, who was interested in extirpating ‘idolatry’ in the region. The nature of their relationship and of the manuscript’s production, however, is unclear.
Notes for 1/26:
Guamán Poma de Ayala is a favorite source for modern-day historians who are interested in the Andes’ precolumbian past. The manuscript was written in 1615-16 as a letter to the king of Spain. Guamán Poma, the son of native nobility, criticized the bad governance of Spanish colonial officials and friars. He argued that Christian Andeans would do a better job governing their own people, and in fact were superior Christians to many Europeans.
Besides reading the excerpt available on D2L under Content, also visit the electronic version set up by the Danish museum where the manuscript is held.
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1.Explore the chapter titles on the left-hand side table of contents. How are they organized? What kind of argument does Guamán Poma construct for the king?
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2.Pick a chapter. What kinds of skills would an historian need to use this source? Does it seem to you like it would be a difficult source to handle? Why or why not?
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3.Look particularly at the pictures in your chapter, and come to class with some ideas about what Guamán Poma is trying to communicate and why he uses this format.
