This landmark anthology brings together more than sixty myths, poems, memoirs, manifestos, and works of fiction translated from Spanish to English, some for the first time. It is an ambitious introduction to Spanish American thought and culture, featuring historiographies by mestizo intellectuals of the Colonial periods; thought-pieces by eighteenth-century Jesuits; personal accounts by indigenous authors, women in struggle, and labor activists; and excerpts from Reinaldo Arenas, the exiled gay Cuban poet, playwright, and novelist.
From disciplines including history, politics, anthropology, religion, literature, art, and architecture and written by famous historical figures such as Simón Bolívar, José Martí, and Che Guevara alongside lesser-known individuals, the texts are united by a shared quest for cultural identity. Representing many different moments in the complex history of an extraordinary region, the key question the texts in this volume confront is “Who are we?” The answers are often surprising.