Newberry Library - Cronica y relacion copiosa y verdadera

Title Cronica y relacion copiosa y verdadera

Date 1558

Subjects Conquerors, Indians of South America

Summary An account of the exploits of Pedro de Valdivia and his band of Spanish conquistadores, from 1538, when Valdivia received a commission from Francisco Pizarro of Peru to undertake the discovery, conquest, and settlement of Chile, to 1558, when García Hurtado de Mendoza, named governor of the provinces following the death of Validivia in 1554, continued the colonization of the provinces and battled the Indians. Vivar recounts the arrival of Valdivia in America; his role in the ongoing power struggle between Pizarro and Almagro in Peru; his trip to Chile as governor, where he established many cities, continually faced hostile Indians, and oversaw explorations and discoveries of the most distant regions of the kingdom; and finally his death at the hands of his enemies, the Araucanos. The account includes a detailed description of the clothing, religion, language, food, and appearance of the Indians of Chile, as well as information on the flora and fauna of the area. Vivar points out Chile's rich natural resources such as silver, gold, copper, salt, and an abundant Indian work force. There is also a chapter devoted to the ports of Chile, emphasizing their importance as points of support in the ongoing process of discovery and conquest. Finally, Vivar discusses the conquistadores themselves, their aspirations, tactics and strategies, and way of life.

Biographical/Historical Note Vivar was born in Burgos, Spain, in 1524 or 1525, and travelled in 1548, perhaps as a sailor, to Chile, where he met Valdivia who had returned from Peru. It is believed that Vivar lived most of his life in Concepción, with a brief sojourn in Santiago in 1558. Vivar may have been a pseudonym for Juan de Cardeña y Criada, secretary to Valdivia; see Gerónimo de Vivar: Crónica y relación copiosa y verdadera de los reinos de Chile 1558 / ed. de Leopoldo Saez-Godoy. Berlin : Colloquium Verlag, 1979, p. v-vi; also Special Collections Info File.

Extent 108 leaves, bound ; 31 cm

Format Chronicles, Manuscripts, Transcripts

Archival Collection Title Edward E. Ayer Collection

Link to Catalog View record

Call Number VAULT Ayer MS 1895

BibID 991188808805867

Rights Status No Copyright - United States

Contributing Institution Newberry Library

Newberry Open Access Policy The Newberry makes its collections available for any lawful purpose, commercial or non-commercial, without licensing or permission fees to the library, subject to these terms and conditions.

Size 2671px × 3607px 27.59 MB

File Created 06/15/2017

Filename 991188808805867_NL_VAULT_Ayer_MS_1895_0007.TIF

Unique Identifier NL1VKLE

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