The Improbable Conquest

Contents

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chronology

Introduction

Selected Letters from the Río de la Plata

Pedro de Mendoza to Juan de Ayolas (April 21, 1537)

Isabel Guevara to Princess Juana (July 2, 1556)

Domingo de Irala to Emperor Charles V (March 1, 1545)

Francisco Galán to Rodrigo de Vera (March 1, 1545)

Juan Pavón to Martín de Agreda (June 15, 1556)

Francisco de Andrada to the Council of the Indies (March 1, 1545)

Martín González to Emperor Charles V (June 25, 1556)

Domingo Martínez to Emperor Charles V (July 2, 1556)

Epilogue

Glossary of Spanish Terms

Bibliography

Index

“The Improbable Conquest offers a highly readable and informative glimpse into an understudied area of the Spanish conquest and colonization of the Americas. The editors deftly render the voices and concerns of a diverse Spanish population in the early years of the founding of the Río de la Plata—women, clergy, conquistadors, and governors—as a rich dialogue between the Spanish crown, church, local populations, and individual circumstances. The introduction provides a lively narrative of the historical context of the conquest, and the introduction to each primary source situates it within the complexities of colonization and scholarship on the topic. This book offers both scholars and students in a variety of disciplines a trove of primary sources and information.”

—Kathleen Myers, Indiana University Bloomington