Comentarios Reales de los Incas
Encyclopedia
The Comentarios Reales de los Incas is a book written by Inca Garcilaso de la Vega
, the first mestizo
writer of colonial
Andean South America
. The Comentarios Reales de los Incas is considered by most to be the unquestionable masterpiece of Inca Garcilaso de la Vega
and arguably the best prose of the colonial period in Peru
.
A direct blood descendant of the royal Inca rulers of prehispanic Peru
and with equal parts of Spanish blood, Garcilaso Inca writes these chronicles as a first hand account of the Inca traditions and customs. However, Garcilaso Inca was taught within the Spanish system of his father and for the most part, "Garcilaso interpreted Inca and Andean religion from the European and Christian point of view that he had been taught to adopt from infancy and that provided him with most of his historical and philosophical terminology."
The son of Captain Sebastián Garcilaso de la Vega y Vargas and the Inca princess Isabel Suárez Chimpu Ocllo (or Palla Chimpu Ocllo), he received the best education of both worlds. Written from memory while he was in Spain, the first edition was published in 1609 in Lisbon
(Portugal
) in the printshop of Pedro Crasbeeck.
Garcilaso had previously published a Spanish translation of the Dialogos de Amor and had written La Florida del Inca, and both works had earned him recognition as a writer.
The first part of the Comentarios deals with Inca life, and the second part is about the Spanish conquest of Peru. The second part of the Comentarios was only published posthumously, one year after the author's death, in 1617, and published under the title of Historia General del Peru.
Most experts agree the Comentarios Reales are a scholarly chronicle of the culture, economics, and politics of the Inca empire, based on oral tradition as handed down to Garcilaso by relatives and other amauta during his childhood and teenage years.
Garcilaso's commentaries have to be understood as representing a mixed worldview of the Inca empire, from the point of view of a member of the royal family of Cuzco, and that of Spanish-Catholic theology.
Many years later, when the native uprising led by Tupac Amaru II
gained traction, Charles III of Spain
banned the "Comentarios" from being published in Lima
due to its "dangerous" content.
The first english translation was by Sir Paul Rycaut in 1685 titled The royal commentaries of Peru
The book was not printed again in the Americas until 1918, but copies continued to be circulated. In 1961, an English translation by Maria Jolas
, titled The Incas was published.
Inca Garcilaso de la Vega
Garcilaso de la Vega , born Gómez Suárez de Figueroa, was a historian and writer from the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru. The son of a Spanish conquistador and an Inca noblewoman, he is recognized primarily for his contributions to Inca history, culture, and society...
, the first mestizo
Mestizo
Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...
writer of colonial
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
Andean South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. The Comentarios Reales de los Incas is considered by most to be the unquestionable masterpiece of Inca Garcilaso de la Vega
Inca Garcilaso de la Vega
Garcilaso de la Vega , born Gómez Suárez de Figueroa, was a historian and writer from the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru. The son of a Spanish conquistador and an Inca noblewoman, he is recognized primarily for his contributions to Inca history, culture, and society...
and arguably the best prose of the colonial period in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
.
A direct blood descendant of the royal Inca rulers of prehispanic Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
and with equal parts of Spanish blood, Garcilaso Inca writes these chronicles as a first hand account of the Inca traditions and customs. However, Garcilaso Inca was taught within the Spanish system of his father and for the most part, "Garcilaso interpreted Inca and Andean religion from the European and Christian point of view that he had been taught to adopt from infancy and that provided him with most of his historical and philosophical terminology."
The son of Captain Sebastián Garcilaso de la Vega y Vargas and the Inca princess Isabel Suárez Chimpu Ocllo (or Palla Chimpu Ocllo), he received the best education of both worlds. Written from memory while he was in Spain, the first edition was published in 1609 in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
(Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
) in the printshop of Pedro Crasbeeck.
Garcilaso had previously published a Spanish translation of the Dialogos de Amor and had written La Florida del Inca, and both works had earned him recognition as a writer.
The first part of the Comentarios deals with Inca life, and the second part is about the Spanish conquest of Peru. The second part of the Comentarios was only published posthumously, one year after the author's death, in 1617, and published under the title of Historia General del Peru.
Most experts agree the Comentarios Reales are a scholarly chronicle of the culture, economics, and politics of the Inca empire, based on oral tradition as handed down to Garcilaso by relatives and other amauta during his childhood and teenage years.
Garcilaso's commentaries have to be understood as representing a mixed worldview of the Inca empire, from the point of view of a member of the royal family of Cuzco, and that of Spanish-Catholic theology.
Many years later, when the native uprising led by Tupac Amaru II
Túpac Amaru II
Túpac Amaru II was a leader of an indigenous uprising in 1780 against the Spanish in Peru...
gained traction, Charles III of Spain
Charles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
banned the "Comentarios" from being published in Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
due to its "dangerous" content.
The first english translation was by Sir Paul Rycaut in 1685 titled The royal commentaries of Peru
The book was not printed again in the Americas until 1918, but copies continued to be circulated. In 1961, an English translation by Maria Jolas
Maria Jolas
Maria Jolas , born Maria McDonald, was one of the founding members of transition in Paris with her husband Eugene Jolas....
, titled The Incas was published.