Description of the Sacrifices That the Indians Inhumanly Perpetrated in the New World of the Indies, Principally in Mexico (Tipus sacrificiorum que in maniter Indi faciebant in Novo Indiarum orbe precipue in Mexico)

~~In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Latin American animals, plants, and minerals entered into international circulation as new foods, lucrative commodities, useful medicines, and important components of new cultural traditions. Silver from American mines...

TO APPROACH THE GENERAL historiography of New World events before Columbus as to their esthetic valuation, it is necessary to review surviving efforts before 1700 to salvage American antiquity, beginning with Columbus. Early scholars of the subject follow, who at first were European and only later of Amerindian origin. Most of the former were friars and priests, but only one of the Indian group, Diego Valadés (whose mother is thought to be Tlaxcalan), was allowed to be of religious profession as …