Death and Conversion in the Andes

Lima and Cuzco, 1532 - 1670

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2782933
AutoresAlberto Zambrana (IES Francisco Rodríguez Marín, Osuna (Sevilla), autor de correspondencia)
Año2011
Volumen91
Número4
Páginas706-707
Fecha de publicación2011-11-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaHispanic American Historical Review (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0018-2168 • E-ISSN: 1527-1900
EditorialDuke University Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1215/00182168-1416765
OpenAlexW2316090961
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas7

This book studies how the conversion of the Andean populations to Catholicism was achieved from a particular perspective: changes in attitudes toward death” (p. 1). Gabriela Ramos declares her intentions clearly from the very beginning, as what the title states is exactly what potential readers of this book will find throughout its almost four hundred pages. The focus is clear from the start: the process of Christianization of death. The book poses spatial and temporal restrictions: the Peruvian cities of Lima and Cuzco from the early days of the conquest until well into the eighteenth century. This book never deviates from these goals. Contrary to what it may seem, the complexity of the topics covered in this book does not represent an obstacle to the audience. This is partly achieved by the clarity of the writing and by the book’s solid structure. Many types of readers, ranging from specialists to historians, or simply newcomers, will feel welcomed to read Ramos’s study.How does the author achieve her goals? As briefly indicated above, language is a factor. Although originally written in Spanish, the use of language in this English version runs parallel to the general tone of the book. The writing is clear, free of jargon, and it is difficult to find irrelevant information. The solid, balanced, and informative structure of the book also directly contributes to understanding the general argumentative thread. The six chapters of this book always stem from a thesis statement, solidly elaborate on this thesis, and close with relevant concluding remarks. In addition, each new chapter recovers some of the basic points of the previous one in order to make it clearer to the audience. The book is complemented by a selection of appendixes. The corpus of footnotes is generous and the extensive list of bibliographical references supporting Ramos’s arguments indicates a methodology solidly grounded in documentary evidence.This book is especially relevant from the standpoint of historiographic significance. The author herself states that the study of religion in the Andes has already been well researched and analyzed by other scholars. However, Ramos’s main contribution lies in the incorporation of an innovative methodology. She draws on historical, archaeological, and anthropological research with a special focus on the wills and testaments of indigenous Andeans. From this perspective, the book explores a significant number of issues. The issue of the appropriation and reorganization of space is key to understanding the further process of Christianization of death. The emergence of cities as institutional platforms occupies a central position in this book. The concepts of “body” and the idea of “self” in the Andean contexts are also central in the development of the book. This study is also full of examples of ritual practices. All these issues help to redefine the typical image of conquistadors as representatives of violence and death. There was also an implicit process of rationalization behind the conquest. First there was a process of immersion in the culture of the natives. Then conquistadors had to become familiar with the culture of the natives. The implicit idea is that the conquest was much more than a simple exercise of annihilation. The conquest also developed along a rational scheme

CLARITY · Jargon · Linguistics · Sociology · History · Latin American history and culture · Philosophy

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