Peter Hess's critical edition of Nikolaus Federmann's Indian History, a firsthand account of Federmann's entrada (incursion) into mainland South America between 1530 and 1531, is a much-needed addition to the English-language scholarship on colonial Venezuela during the first half of the sixteenth century. Hess's introduction provides context about Federmann (1506–42), a German-born operative of the Welser Company of Augsburg who searched for a passage to the Pacific Ocean and El Dorado. Hess explains the relationship between the Spanish crown, the Welsers, and the ambitious Federmann, providing valuable biographical information about his life. Hess highlights the centrality of the asiento in defining imperial commercial relationships, as well as the conflicts within colonial administrative structures and the upheaval caused by the rapacious search for gold and slaves. Moreover, Hess thoughtfully considers the production of and audience for Federmann's narrative, which was printed in 1557, 15 years after his mysterious death while...

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