Isabel, Anacaona & Columbus’s Demise: 1498–1502 Retold released this morning!
The years 1498 to 1502 are the least studied and written about of “Española’s” brutal conquest, and the book steps beyond portrayals of Queen Isabel, Chieftain Anacaona, and Columbus (discussed in prior posts) to explore some societal practices and events that trace their origin to the period and influenced the course of societies in the Americas for centuries thereafter. These include:
-the tortured inception of mestizo society, when Spanish rebels squatting in Anacaona’s Xaraguá cohabitated and had children with Taíno women and Spaniards loyal to Columbus did so elsewhere on Española
-the origins of the doctrines of repartimiento and encomienda, whereby Spanish settlers overlorded “Indian” labor and Spain would rule its New World possessions
-the commencement of the Spanish conquest of the mainland, led by minor conquistadors who enslaved Indians, including Alonso de Hojeda, with an unknown Amerigo Vespucci participating.
Find the full book description, advance reviews, and purchase links on my website, www.andrewrowen.com
