The Conquest of New Grenada

Written in the 1630s, this chronicle of the New Kingdom of Granada recounts the Spanish conquest of the Muisca, the founding of Santa Fe de Bogota, and the first century of colonial life in what is now Colombia. Freile, the son of a conquistador, mixes captains' campaigns and the El Dorado story of Lake Guatavita with courtroom gossip, crimes of passion, and satirical portraits of officials and clergy. Indigenous customs and civil wars appear beside Spanish faction. The tone is anecdotal rather than strictly archival. The book is a colonial history with invented scenes, not a modern academic monograph.

Bound in dar green buckram blocked with a gilt design. Dark red slipcase. Map endleaves.