Guide to Documentary Sources for Andean Studies, 1530–1900

The Guide to Documentary Sources for Andean Studies, 1530–1900 is a reference work to support research on the pre-Hispanic, colonial, and republican periods of the Andean region of South America. Intended for scholars in anthropology, archaeology, art history, history, and other related disciplines, the guide addresses key texts and authors of the sixteenth through nineteenth century, concerning a region defined by the extent of the Inca Empire (modern Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and parts of Colombia, Argentina, and Chile). The essays and entries consider the contributions and perspectives of authors who wrote on the pre-Hispanic and viceregal cultures of this region. As there was no tradition of writing in this area prior to the arrival of Europeans in the sixteenth century, these early modern texts are critical yet complex sources of information on Andean life.

The intention of the guide is to provide an inventory and scholarly analysis of the principal textual sources useful for the study of the Andean region, particularly those concerning indigenous cultures. With contributions from one hundred and twenty-five scholars based in nineteen countries, this guide underscores the cultural complexities of these sources, and gives a deeper understanding of the intentions and perceptions of the works. Volume I introduces readers to the complex range of sources and provides a broad understanding of the cultural context of the documents. Volumes II and III contain entries on specific writers and texts, along with biographical and bibliographic information. The guide reproduces one hundred and fifty sample illustrations from these works, including woodcuts, engravings, watercolors, and early photographs.

The guide is a research project of the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts at the National Gallery of Art. It has been supported by the Getty Grant Program, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the British Academy, the Sainsbury Research Unit for the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas of the University of East Anglia, and Dumbarton Oaks. The guide is published jointly by the National Gallery of Art and the University of Oklahoma Press. The guide will also be published in Spanish in Latin America, and the translation will be supported by the Lampadia Foundation.