This dramatic history brings alive the story of mainland Iberian Americans’ nineteenth-century wars of independence. Pitched perfectly to the undergraduate or generalist audience and presented from the perspective of the “liberators,” including Bolívar, San Martín, and Morelos, John Charles Chasteen tells the story of an “Americano” desire for political independence from Spain and includes sources and additional readings for those interested in digging deeper. Identifying Iberoamericans as “Americanos” is an effective device to bridge race and class divisions, binding the disparate strands of the tale together and facilitating discussion of wars that often passed from one colonial jurisdiction to another via intrepid mountain treks or daring naval voyages.
Readers discover this America of Americanos in an introductory chapter with dramatis personae Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland (whose travels let Chasteen discuss key Spanish colonial centers in New Spain, New Granada, and Cuba) and imperial pilgrim Félix de Azara (whose...
