Subject: Guatemala, Native Indians
Period: 1710 (circa)
Publication: Les Indes Orientales et Occidentales
Color: Hand Color
Size:
11.6 x 8.3 inches
29.5 x 21.1 cm
This dramatic engraving depicts the cruelty against Native Americans in Guatemala at the hands of the Spanish. Led by Pedro de Alvarado, who is depicted just left of center (at #3), the Spanish forces made their way through Guatemala from 1523-24, conquering villages and Native tribes as they went. This engraving depicts some of the ways in which the Natives were brutalized: pushed into pits filled with large spike, roasted in fire pits, mauled by dogs and birds, marched in chains, and killed on the battle field with guns, axes and swords. In the background, Guatemala can be seen further ravaged by volcanoes, earthquakes, and water. A numbered key appears at top in both French and Dutch.
References:
Condition: A
A dark impression on paper with a fleur-de-lis coat of arms watermark, marginal soiling, and a few tiny worm tracks along the centerfold at top that have been archivally repaired.