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Download: $9.97 Hardcover Print: $34.29 A study of the personal and national aims of seamen sailing from northern Europe and the West Indies to the west coast of South America in the 17th century, their exploits and their legacy.They range from the buccaneers - some of the most ferocious, heartless and brutal men of their age, to others seeking to expand commercial horizons, or even in the case of the Dutch to challenge Spanish jurisdiction through alliances with local peoples.
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Print: $37.10 Download: $23.92 A study of how the South Sea coast of the Viceroyalty of Peru from Valdivia to Guayaquil, its commerce and its settlements, was defended against foreign intruders from the time of Drake to the early 18th century. It analyses the logistical operations of the Armada del Mar del Sur, types and characteristics of vessels employed, and the reliance on local expertise, manpower, and increasingly private investment, rather than direct support from crown resources. On land the book explains the expansion of forts and defensive walls in major and minor ports, the creation of the Callao presidio, and the organization and training of local militias. These processes are set into the context of royal reluctance to tolerate reduced levels of silver shipments from Peru to Spain caused by higher defence costs, and the emergence of various examples of Peruvian self-reliance in defence not only of local but also of crown interests.
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In the eyes of the Spanish crown, all of those who intruded into the seas around the empire in the New World were "piratas". "Pirates on the Coasts of Peru" uses original manuscript sources in Spanish and English, along with published accounts of journals, to examine the exploits of interlopers in the South Sea from the contrasting perspectives of those who were affected in Peru and those who participated in the expeditions. Collectively the latter discovered, described, mapped and ultimately established the viability of the long and perilous ocean routes to Peru, and laid the foundations of the next era of trans-Pacific exploration and discovery in the 18th c. Their adventures and their deeds forever infused with tales of legendary riches, rare sights and strange beings, were to contribute to the emergence of a new genre of travel literature, epitomized by the story of Robinson Crusoe.
"Spain and the Defence of Peru, 1579-1700:Royal Reluctance and Colonial Self-Reliance",focuses on the defensive response in Peru to protect both crown and local interests. Inevitably this revealed divergent attitudes about the viceroyalty's defence needs, by those whose livelihood and lives were under direct threat, and by a distant, financially beleaguered crown which strove to prevent high levels of silver remittances from Peru to Spain being undermined by unnecessary expenditure on defence. Colonial and royal interests diverged, especially during the era of buccaneer intrusions, local self-reliance and investment grew, for example in the building of the wall at Trujillo or the construction of ships for the Armada del Mar del Sur, and groups emerged who began to demonstrate the social importance and prestige they earned from exercising military authority.
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