There are no significant changes in this second edition of a work originally published in 1954. However, this fact will disappoint only those who have already read the book, because it is a fascinating study of the origins and characteristics of the ancient Indians of Venezuela and the Caribbean zone. Although employing different techniques, historians will like the scholarly quality and ample documentation of this work.
The book is comprised of eight studies or essays which cover a range of subjects from folklore to cannibalism. The chapter entitled, “The Cannibalism of the Caribes,” although not for the squeamish, studies this practice and concludes that it was not a mark of barbarism but quite the contrary. Acosta Saignes contends, moreover, that the early accounts of Indian savagery were exaggerated either to enhance the reputations of the conquistadors or to justify the enslavement of the New World inhabitants. The chapter on the Indians known as the “Macos” or “Itotos” is also excellent. The author concludes that there was no tribe by the name of “Maco” or “Itoto,” but rather these were terms applied to divergent peoples who were in a condition of vassalage or tribute-paying to stronger tribes. Hence he explains the “mystery” of their wide range and diverse characteristics.
In his preface the author promises new studies of the ancient ethnology of Venezuela. It is to be hoped that he will be able to keep his promise.
