Sam Terry’s Reviews > The Penguin History of Latin America > Status Update

On why the New World criollo elite did not resist the Spanish imperial authority which checked their power: “Any direct attack on the monarchy ran the risk of bringing down the complex ideological edifice which kept the double colonialism of the Indies from collapsing in bloody chaos.” I love this goddamn book

Really interesting and nuanced perspectives on the role of the Spanish crown in defining the nature of Latin American colonial society. The monarchy is characterized in a much more sympathetic way than I imagined it would be, but maybe the monarchy had better intentions in its colonial ambitions than I’ve been taught

Thorough and compelling crash course in chapter 2 on the history of indigenous America and of the Iberian monarchies. Navarre is mentioned only once in passing so to sate my curiosity I had to look up what became of them. I think I got all the broad themes down but I may have to review a little to make sure I absorb all the details I want to carry with me

Wanted to sprinkle some nonfiction into the mix again. Really well-crafted rundown on the age of exploration and conquest. In school I never found that era particularly interesting but there are so many cool details about the state of the Mediterranean trade economy and the internal politics of the Aztec and Inca empires. Really enjoying this so far