The author is a rough and tough politician who for years has served as Victor Paz Estenssoro’s right hand man. He has written many political books in which he proves himself to be a facile writer with a sharp intelligence. He now has been rewarded with the Ministry of Education and Culture and there are those who see presidential aspirations in Fellman Velarde. But this politician has also a lust for things of history and he tells us that one of his great ambitions is to write a multivolume history of Bolivia, something encouraged by his mentor Paz Estenssoro. This is Volume One.
It deals with the pre-Columbian era and the Spanish conquest. It is a difficult job to write a summary tome of this period since the pre-Columbian part is full of conjectures and controversies such as the age of Tiahuanacu, the origins of the Aimarás, and many more. While Fellman Velarde has not produced anything original, he has written an excellent and impartial summary which incorporates modern sources. It is most readable and the illustrations are good. Paper and printing are excellent and again prove that the venerable publishing house, Don Bosco, still maintains the highest standards.
