Appeal Concerning the Priests
by Felipe Guamán Poma de Ayala
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- c. 1615
- Language
- Spanish
- Length
- Short · 30 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Moderate2 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe First New Chronicle and Good Government, translated by Roland HamiltonUniversity of Texas Press, 2009An abridged English translation of the manuscript from which the appeal is taken, with the drawings.
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An indigenous Andean nobleman's protest against the Spanish clergy of colonial Peru, part of the enormous illustrated letter to Philip III that Guaman Poma spent decades writing and that was never delivered. Priest by priest and parish by parish he catalogues what the doctrineros actually do: extort labour and cloth, beat and imprison Andeans who complain, keep women and father children, sell sacraments, and seize the goods of the dead. The argument is not against Christianity, which Guaman Poma professes, but that these men make it impossible, and that the king would stop it if he knew.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Appeal Concerning the Priests are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
