Subject: Guatemala, Natives
Period: 1700 (circa)
Publication: Les Indes Orientales et Occidentales
Color: Hand Color
Size:
11.8 x 8.1 inches
30 x 20.6 cm
Designed by Romain de Hooghe, this dramatic engraving depicts the cruelty against Indigneous peoples (mostly Maya) 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 Indigenous tribes as they went. This engraving depicts some of the ways in which the Indigenous peoples 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 flooding. A numbered key appears at top in both French and Dutch.
References:
Condition: A
A crisp impression on a watermarked sheet with marginal soiling.