Primary sourceBookc. 1615

El primer nueva corónica y buen gobierno

Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala · c. 1615

An illustrated Andean chronicle criticizing Spanish colonial rule, including Pizarro's conquest of the Inca Empire.

This chronicle offers an Indigenous critique of the conquest Pizarro led and the colonial order it created.

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A bound manuscript volume lies open in a glass case on a white pedestal, showing two pages with handwritten Spanish text and a pen-and-ink drawing of figures with a Spanish-style scene at left. A numbered tag reading 35 sits beside it. Colorful graphic wall art surrounds the case. — El primer nueva corónica y buen gobierno, manuscript by Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala, c. 1615. Royal Danish Library, Copenhagen.

About this source

What it is

This manuscript, finished around 1615, was written and illustrated by the Indigenous Peruvian Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala and sent to King Philip III of Spain, though the king never read it. It is now held at the Royal Danish Library.

Why it matters

About half the chronicle harshly criticizes Spanish colonial rule, making it a rare and valuable Indigenous perspective on the conquest led by Francisco Pizarro and its aftermath. Historians consider this section a uniquely reliable historical source, and the manuscript is recognized by UNESCO as part of the world's documentary heritage.

Look closer

Why might Guaman Poma have written and illustrated this chronicle for a Spanish king?
What does it suggest that the manuscript sat unread and unknown for centuries before being rediscovered?
How might an Indigenous author's account of the conquest differ from a Spanish conquistador's own report?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Francisco Pizarro, Atahualpa and Hernando de Soto on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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