Guaman Poma and the Attempt to Level with the King

 My initial thoughts on the subsequent parts of the First New Chronicle and Good Government are that it seems to be more chronologically organized. It details key moments of conquest and the eventual demise of Inca rule. Whereas I do still have questions, I felt more confusion in the first half due to the amount of introductions involved. 


The language used by Guaman Poma in an attempt to either generate sympathy for the Indigenous or outline incompetent rule by the Spaniards carried two central themes. After each section that I read, the first thing I noticed was an effort to persuade the religious conscience of the King in his reports. The Corregidores, which are Spanish officials acting as “both judge and executive authority” (p.167) in a given province, are a great example of Guaman Poma’s language. They are first described as a governing authority harbouring “little fear of justice or of God” (p.167). He uses this exact phrase twice to almost portray characters that have been stripped away of their Christianity. These rulers are further expressed as committing ethical violations that are compiled into a description pertaining to the sins of a Christian. Guaman Poma would assert that the Corregidores would be “naked and poor, because they are gambling, whoring, swaggering…”, insinuating their actions are not just against the kingdom but against God (p.168). I think that  Guaman Poma believed if he could give Christian character to the Indigenous, the king would look to adjust the colonial assault and adopt what I would describe as soft colonial rule.  


The second theme I noticed was how he used language to depict the Indigenous as victims of circumstance. Almost to play on the emotion of the King while looking to show them as commodities to the Kingdom. An excerpt that stuck out was when he explained a story about Don Cristobal. In describing the Indigenous, Guaman Poma stated that “if this Indian were not a drunkard, he would be as good as any Spaniard in skills, spirit and Christianity” (p.171). Adding that the loyalty of these people who are being conquered share values of the kingdom and should be a verification of what they represent. In almost every description of a Corregidor, the phrases such as “poor Indians” or “poor man” try to promote mercy on the Indigenous (p.284). 


It is fascinating how it seems as though he transitions back and forth between saying what a Christian should do and, indirectly, saying they do not know any better. After reading this i'm left with the question: Would the Indigenous community approve of Guaman Poma voicing the atrocities in this manner?

Comments

  1. Vanessa LeibelFebruary 7, 2024 at 12:42 PM

    I also noticed that in the second half of the chronicle, Guaman Poma repeatedly focuses on the element that the indigenous are "poor sinners", and that Jesus Christ presented himself as poor to help the poor sinners, as an element to show the King that it is the duty of Christianity to help the indigenous. As for your question (which is a very good one!!), I think that the indigenous community would approve of him reporting of the Spanish atrocities, but would not approve his attribution of their actions to simple ignorance.

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  2. Anthony LockleyFebruary 9, 2024 at 4:16 PM

    I thought that Guaman Poma’s appeal to religion was really interesting too. Especially since he is essentially saying ‘you allowed these unchristian men to take these positions, ho Christian does that make you?’ In a context where the king’s authority is derived from religious/papal decrees, it feels like Guaman Poma might even be threatening the king’s legitimacy to claim his title. It’s not a direct threat, but more subtle and layered. It reads like ‘now you know, so u better fix it’ which i find really interesting

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