Felipe Guamán Poma de Ayala was an Andean indigenous chronicler born around 1535 in present-day Peru. He is recognized for his work El Primer Nueva Corónica y Buen Gobierno (written between 1600 and 1615), an extensive manuscript addressed to King Philip III of Spain. In this work, written in Spanish with Quechua influences, Guamán Poma describes the history and culture of the pre-Hispanic Andean world, as well as the abuses committed by the Spanish colonizers against the indigenous people.
His work belongs to the genre of historical chronicle and is one of the most valuable sources on Andean society in the colonial era. In addition to his written testimony, the manuscript is notable for its more than 1,000 illustrations that complement his narrative. It was rediscovered in 1908 in the Royal Library of Denmark, consolidating its importance in colonial historiography.
See more
See less