The First New Chronicle and Good Government

Introduction

Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala, an Andean noble who had worked for colonial officials and churchmen, completed the manuscript around 1615 and addressed it to King Philip III of Spain. Written in Spanish mixed with Quechua, it combines a history of the Andes from creation through the Inca to the conquest, a detailed record of abuses by colonial officials, priests and encomenderos, and proposals for a “good government” in which Andean lords would rule under the king. Its full-page drawings are a key visual source for Andean life. The manuscript never reached the king; it lay in the Royal Library in Copenhagen until Richard Pietschmann drew attention to it in 1908. Since 2001 it has been freely available online.

Connections

Builds on

• A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies1552 · Bartolomé de las Casas