The Jesuit and the Incas : the extraordinary life of Padre Blas Valera, S.J. / Sabine Hyland.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hyland, Sabine, 1964-

Series:

History, languages, and cultures of the Spanish and Portuguese worlds

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Valera, Blas, 1551-1597.

Valera, Blas.

Incas--Missions.

Incas.

Jesuits--Peru--History.

Jesuits.

Jesuits--Spain--History.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xii, 269 pages : illustrations, 1 map ; 24 cm.

Other Title:

Jesuit & the incas

Place of Publication:

Ann Arbor : University of Michigan Press, [2003]

Summary:

This is the story of Father Blas Valera, the child of a native Incan woman and Spanish father, caught between the ancient world of the Incas and the conquistadors of Spain. Valera, a Jesuit in sixteenth-century Peru, believed in what to his superiors was heresy: that the Incan culture, religion, and language were equal to their Christian counterparts. As punishment for this treachery he was imprisoned, beaten, and, finally, exiled to Spain, where he died an untimely death at the hands of English pirates in 1597. Four centuries later, this Incan chronicler had been all but forgotten, until an Italian anthropologist discovered some startling documents in a private Neapolitan collection. The documents claimed, among other things, that Valera's death had been faked by the Jesuits; that he had returned to Peru; and, intriguingly, while there had taught his followers that the Incas used a secret phonetic quipu -- a record-keeping device of the Incas -- to record history. Far from settling anything, the documents created an international sensation among scholars and led to bitter disputes over how they should be assessed. Are they forgeries, authentic documents, or something in between? If genuine, they will radically reform our view of Inca culture and Valera. The author insightfully examines the evidence, showing how fact and fiction intertwine, and brings the dimly understood history of this author-priest to light.

Contents:

2 In "the land of strong men" 9

3 "... to go without subterfuge or excuse ..." 32

4 Valera's Writings and Sources 72

5 "... the age of our country and sequence of events ..." 95

6 "... the terminology of all matters, human and divine ..." 122

7 "... the laws of religious ceremonies and of the priesthoods ..." 150

8 A Danger to Peru 183

9 The "Naples Documents" 195

10 The Continuing Controversy over Blas Valera 214

A "Father Jeronimo Valera, O.F.M., on Native Rights, January 12, 1599" 239

B "Testimony of Father Lucio Garcete, S.J., to the Inquisitors of Panama City, August 11, 1591" 243.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 245-262) and index.

ISBN:

0472113534

OCLC:

52214954