Abstract
This thesis analyzes the role of animals, specifically llamas, in El primer nueva corónica y buen gobierno, a manuscript that dates to 1615-16, and was hand-written and illustrated by the Andean author Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala. Through the lens of animal studies, I analyze the manner in which Poma represented llamas to convey greater ideas surrounding the nature of colonial life under the Spanish empire, as well as the nostalgic remembrance of Inca practices before the conquest.
My study focuses on three of the Corónica’s drawings: “The second age of the world: Noah,” and how its reinterpretation of the eponymous biblical narrative expanded it to include the Andean world; “One of the many thieves who prosper in this kingdom,” and its representation of early modern anxieties over corruption and mestizaje; and “Feast of the Inkas: wariqsa, dance; arawi, song of the Inka. He sings with his red llama,” and its illustration of the connections between llamas, their environments, and the legacy of the Inca Empire through ritual space. Ultimately, I propose that llamas in the Corónica must be understood as active historical agents and visual representatives of Andeanness.
Degree Date
Spring 2021
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Department
Art History
Advisor
Adam Jasienski
Second Advisor
Amy Freund
Third Advisor
Adam Herring
Subject Area
Art, Art History/Criticism/Conservation, History, Humanities, Humanities, Linguistics
Number of Pages
79
Format
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Recommended Citation
Varela Mejia, Laura, "Colonialism, Cohabitation, and Charismatic Llamas: Representations of Animals in Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala's El primer nueva corónica y buen gobierno" (2021). Art History Theses and Dissertations. 10.
https://scholar.smu.edu/arts_arthistory_etds/10
Included in
Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque Art and Architecture Commons, Latin American Languages and Societies Commons, Other History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons
