PIZARRO Y ORELLANA (Fernando). VARONES Ilustres del Nuevo Mundo. En Madrid. 1639.

PIZARRO Y ORELLANA (Fernando). VARONES Ilustres del Nuevo Mundo. En Madrid. 1639.
PIZARRO Y ORELLANA (Fernando)
VARONES Ilustres del Nuevo Mundo. Descubridores, conquistadores, y pacificadores del opulento, dilatado, y poderoso Imperio de las Indias Occidentales: sus vidas, virtud, valor, hazañas, y claros blasones. Ilustrados en los sucessos destas vidas con singulares observaciones politicas, morales, juridicas, miscelaneas, y razon de Estado para mayor autoridad de la história, y demonstracion della, y su utilissima leccion. Con un Discurso Legal de la Obligation que Tinene los Reys a Premiar los Servicios de sus Vassalos; ò en ellos, ò en sus Descendientes [...]. En Madrid: Por Diego Diaz de la Carrera, 1639.

¶10, ¶¶2, ¶6, A-Z, Aa-Mm6, Nn4, a-f6, A-B6, C4; [36], 428, 72, [32] pp.; 290 mm. Modern full calf; browned; contemporary signatures on tittle-page; last two index leaves restored on upper margin.

FIRST EDITION of this glorification of the Spanish conquests in America. The work contains the biographies of Columbus, Alonso de Ojeda, the Pizarro family, Diego de Almagro and Diego Garcia de Paredes, whose brutality in conquests and severity in relations with the Indians is defended. Fernando Pizarro y Orellana was a professor of law in Salamanca and minister of the Council of Castile for Philip IV, defending in this work that he is the grandson of the celebrated Francisco Pizarro, reminding the Sovereign of the promises of his predecessors to grant privileges to the descendants of the Pizarros in return for the riches brought about by their achievements. After several preambular texts, the work opens with a great biography of Columbus, marking his discovery as the beginning of a succession of conquests that were not only fair, but predestined. Below is the biography of Alonso de Ojeda and his travels to the Caribbean and South America, including Trinidad, Tobago, Guyana and Venezuela and several others, including those of Fernando Cortéz, with a description of his meeting with Montezuma and Francisco Pizarro's exploration of Peru. The work contains important information about the types of government and social hierarchy imposed by the conquerors and the profound transformations they caused in indigenous communities. Very rare and very important.

¶ Palau 227687; Sabin 63109