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Images for the History of Communication: The First Engravings from the Americas

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to make an in-depth study of the image as a form of representation of the reality which reflects history in a unique way, and to discuss the different factors that may have impact on the correlation between reality and its representation by an image. For that purpose, the first engravings circulated in Europe of American natives will be used as an example, to determine their characteristics, and their authors. The study demonstrates how the images are determined by the interpretations, beliefs and previous knowledge of the artists or publishers of the 92 studied images, none of whom had direct knowledge of the American reality

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Images for the History of Communication: The First Engravings from the Americas

Author: Ramírez Alvarado, María del Mar
Year: 2015
DOI: 10.4236/ahs.2015.41006
Source: https://idus.us.es/bitstreams/0e595cc8-84ca-4964-8ca8-6a38ac5c2b45/download
Ad ances in His o ical S udies, 2015, 4, 51-64
Published Online Ma ch 2015 in SciRes. h p://www.sci p.o g/jou nal/ahs
h p://dx.doi.o g/10.4236/ahs.2015.41006
How o ci e his pape : Ramí ez-Al a ado, M. del M. (2015). Images o he His o y o Communica ion: The Fi s Eng a ings
om he Ame icas. Ad ances in His o ical S udies, 4, 51-64. h p://dx.doi.o g/10.4236/ahs.2015.41006
Images o he His o y o Communica ion:
The Fi s Eng a ings om he Ame icas
Ma ía del Ma Ramí ez-Al a ado
Depa men o Audio isual Communica ion, Ad e ising and Li e a u e, Communica ion Facul y, Uni e si y o
Se ille, Se ille, Spain
Email: delma[email p o ec ed]
Recei ed 4 Decembe 2014; accep ed 16 Janua y 2015; published 30 Ma ch 2015
Copy igh © 2015 by au ho and Scien i ic Resea ch Publishing Inc.
This wo k is licensed unde he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion In e na ional License (CC BY).
h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/
Abs ac
The pu pose o his wo k is o make an in-dep h s udy o he image as a o m o ep esen a ion o
he eali y which e lec s his o y in a unique way, and o discuss he di e en ac o s ha may
ha e impac on he co ela ion be ween eali y and i s ep esen a ion by an image. Fo ha pu -
pose, he i s eng a ings ci cula ed in Eu ope o Ame ican na i es will be used as an example, o
de e mine hei cha ac e is ics, and hei au ho s. The s udy demons a es how he images a e
de e mined by he in e p e a ions, belie s and p e ious knowledge o he a is s o publishe s o
he 92 s udied images, none o whom had di ec knowledge o he Ame ican eali y.
Keywo ds
Ame ica, Communica ion, Images, Na i e Ame icans, P in ing
1. In oduc ion
The undamen al s udy objec i e o he p esen a icle is o del e in o he way images gi e a singula accoun o
he eal and imagina y en i onmen in which a socie y de elops a a ce ain momen in his o y. In his sense, he
images cons i u e a na a ion ha e lec s no only elemen s o eali y, bu also he common hough s uc u es o
hei c ea o s and hei con empo a ies. The i s images ci cula ed in Eu ope o he Ame ican na i e, om he
end o he i een h cen u y and h oughou he six een h cen u y, will be used as examples o de e mine hei
cha ac e is ics and hei au ho s.
The e a e di e en aspec s which gi e impo ance o his momen in he his o y o communica ion and wha
eme ges in Eu ope in he passage om he i een h o he six een h cen u y. Two o hese aspec s a e closely
ela ed o he image: he in en ion o mo able ype p in ing and he imp o emen o he echniques o applying
eng a ing o he p in ed page, undamen ally xylog aphy o wood eng a ing. The possibili y o mul iple ep o-
M. del M. Ramí ez-Al a ado
52
duc ion o he image p oduced a de ini i e up u e wi h he adi ion o he p e ious cen u ies in ha i allowed
knowledge, copied in w i en o m, o be ans o med in o in o ma ion accessible o he majo i y. In his way he
p ess and he eng a ing acili a ed access o he image and, he eby, ac ed as a hub o an iconog aphic di e si-
ica ion and densi ica ion o g ea impo ance. The inc ease o images was e iginous and he book ma ke ex-
panded impo an ly wi h he educ ion o he sale p ice o he edi ions, which we e achie ing la ge p in - uns.
In his espec , a de e mining ac o was ha e y ew people knew how o ead in Eu ope in he six een h cen-
u y, and he ein lay he impo ance acqui ed by images in popula cul u e and he ise o illus a ion o p in ed
books. E en a he end o he se en een h cen u y, only 29 pe cen o Eu opean adul s knew how o ead (Bu ke,
1991: 123).
The e is ano he aspec which is impo an in his ansi ion om he Middle Ages o he Mode n. The de e-
lopmen o he a i icial pe spec i e, by he a is s o he Renaissance, came o be one o he mos impo an pil-
la s o he social o de o mode ni y. The c ea i e o ex o he Renaissance in Eu ope p oduced an impo an
b eak om he mediae al ep esen a ions o he isible wo ld: he a is had o pu sue he imi a ion o wha was
eal. Fo his, apa om ha ing c ea i e alen , i was necessa y o know he p inciples o a i icial pe spec i e
ed by ideas o igina ing om ma hema ics and geome y. Since hen, hese p inciples ha e se ed as guides o
he econs uc ion, on he objec i ely bi-dimensional pic o ial su ace, o a igu a i e plane in which space was
p esen ed as homogeneous and uni a ily s uc u ed.
As ui o he his o ical and cul u al con en ions om he i een h cen u y, he a i icial pe spec i e became
he e e ence model o he iconic ep esen a ions o mode ni y. The sea ch o ealism in he Renaissance e-
sul ed in a ep esen a ion wi h a high deg ee o iconici y. The imi a ion o eali y had o be ep esen ed in such
as way so ha “ he human eyes a e decei ed” (as indica ed in many ea ies). The mos pe ec pain ing was ha
which managed o decei e he obse e “making ha which is ic ion pass o eali y”.
Agains his backg ound, he las es iges o he mediae al adi ions began o in e lace wi h he di e se
changes p oduced in Eu ope, and wi h he ans o ma ions in he wo ld o de gene a ed as a esul o he g ea
ansa lan ic oyages. And hus he e appea ed he Ame ican con inen which needed o be explained in all i s
dimensions. Th ough he i s con ac s o he a elle s and na iga o s, wi h a eali y ha was unknown o hem,
many ideas a ose ha we e s ongly ela ed o he old and mediae al adi ions. These i s desc ip ions we e in-
cluded in he le e s and i s accoun s o he na iga o s and also exp essed in di e se images o ex ao dina y
in e es which a e deal wi h in his a icle. Wo k was unde aken wi h eng a ings ha we e p oduced by Eu o-
peans om he end o he i een h cen u y and du ing he six een h and which, in many cases, achie ed wide
ci cula ion as illus a ions in ch onicles o he ime o in loose shee s. Such a pe spec i e has been e y use ul, in
ha i allowed an app oach o he p oblem o using images o de ine a eali y, p e iously unknown in Eu ope,
condi ioned by he app ecia ions o hose who desc ibed ha eali y o he i s ime and o hose who we e i s
i s d augh smen.
2. Theo e ical Conside a ions. The Ame ican Con inen as a New Re e ence
The expansion o he wo ld o include a new con inen om he end o he i een h cen u y, wi h all i s epe -
cussions, c ea ed he p oblem o he concep ion and de ini ion, h ough images, o a cul u al eali y ha was
unknown in Eu ope. Almos wi hou excep ion, he i s ch onicle s picked-up he ideas o he mediae al bes i-
a ies and a el books ha we e amilia o hem and which spoke o imagina y beings which popula ed he new
lands.
In his oyage logs Columbus himsel con i ms unde s anding he e e ences made by he na i es, o men wi h
dog’s heads, wa io women and beings wi h one eye who we e dispe sed among he emo e opical islands.
E iden ly, wha he Admi al belie ed he hea d om he lips o he Taino people ag eed wi h he cha ac e iza-
ions o hose mons ous beings amilia in Eu ope since be o e he Middle Ages (Colón, 1989). These beings o
di e se s amp, p o agonis s o he legends sp ead a ha ime, we e now ans e ed o a emo e and unknown
se ing. The a elle s who se oo on he new lands a e he a i al o Columbus, con ibu ed o ci cula ing he
ideas abou hose Indies ad en u ously ound o he Wes and popula ed wi h many-colou ed mons e s. Thus,
hey did no ake long in en isaging Pygmies, Sa y s, Cynocephalos, Cyclopes and Panocios, among o he s,
p o ec ed by he jungle g eene y o ha ex ensi e “New Wo ld”. On occasion, legends we e gi en a new wis
and e u ned s eng hened o Eu ope. One example is he ans o ma ion o he Tehuelche Indians (pe haps he
only inhabi an s o he sou he n pa o he con inen ha could ha e been he o igin o he s o y o he gian s,
M. del M. Ramí ez-Al a ado
53
wi h hei a e age heigh o se en y- wo inches) in o he s unning gian s who swelled he my hical compendium
o he Ame ican lands.
The ep esen a ion o he na i e which ci cula ed wi hin Eu ope h oughou he six een h cen u y s ongly
calls a en ion in his espec . Ini ially, his ep esen a ion adhe ed o a dual iconog aphic o mula: good sa age
o cannibal. A i s , Columbus himsel , and he ch onicle s, con ibu ed o sp eading ha dicho omizing con-
cep ion o he na i e as being an innocen o he Golden Age o , on he con a y, as a beas ly an h opophagous
and concupiscen sodomi e. Among many o he ph ases ha can be men ioned, he goodness o he Taino people
is exp essed by Columbus in he ollowing e ms: “They a e people, no a all bad no wa like, naked all, men
and women, as hei mo he s bo e hem” (Tuesday, 6 No embe 1492). In he same epo s o he i s oyage,
Ch is ophe Columbus ou lines wi h peculia nuance he o he ho i ic ace o hese inhabi an s wi h swee
speech, singula innocence and beau i ul o ms: “ wo men displayed ha hey lacked some pieces o lesh on
hei body and hey ga e o unde s and ha he cannibals p epa e hem as snacks” (Monday, 17 Decembe 1492)
(Colón, 1985: 69).
La e , in a communica ion sen by Columbus o An onio To es om he island o La Isabela on 30 Janua y
1494, he Admi al eques s a licence om he Ca holic Kings so ha a su icien numbe o ca a els lea e o
he new lands loaded wi h li es ock and ools necessa y o wo k he land: “such hings could be paid o in
sla es, cannibals, people so ie ce and handsome [...] ha hey would be be e han any o he sla es” (Colón,
1985: 177). Du ing he ou h oyage, Columbus complemen s ha ision o he Ea hly Pa adise, desc ibed a
ew yea s be o e in his hi d oyage, when a i ing a wha he called “land o g ace” ( he No h coas o Vene-
zuela) popula ed wi h you hs o nice ges u e, beau i ul bodies, good appea ance, as u e and ingenious: “ano he
ailed people, who a e men: he de o mi y o hei g imace says i ” (Colón, 1985: 219).
To his concep ion is added he s o y o one o he mos widely ci cula ed le e s in Eu ope a he beginning o
he six een h cen u y, he ex o which se ed as inspi a ion o a la ge numbe o eng a ings and illus a ions
and which was e en ansla ed in o se e al languages: he well-known missi e Mundus No us sen o he Flo -
en ine, Lo enzo di Pie ancesco de Médici, by Ame igo Vespucci om Lisbon. In his le e , he a elle de-
ailed knowing an Indian who had ea en mo e han h ee hund ed men. In he houses o a illage, he igh ened
Vespucci saw “sal ed human lesh hanging om he beams, as we would s ing up he a and mea o a pig”
(Vespucci, 1986: 62). As will be seen, wi h ime, he deba e was accen ua ed, se ing as an in o ma i e suppo
o he ep esen a ion o he inhabi an o he Indies acco ding o he p esen ed models.
The image o he cannibal o he “New Wo ld” sp ead h ough Eu ope, unde he s ill cu en ace o he
blood hi s y Ta a s and Mongols hi een h cen u y, ba ba ous beings, sine lege and wi hou sec who, wi h ime,
we e seen by Wes e ne s as po en ial allies in he igh agains Islam. Th ee cen u ies la e , al eady in he six-
een h, ha dual concep ion o “ he o he ” as angel o as demon would epea i sel in he app ecia ion o he
Ame ican na i e.
The impo ance o he images o he Ame ican na i e was al eady clea in he Eu ope o he six een h cen u y.
Fo example, Gonzalo Fe nández o O iedo a emp ed o pe sonally make some illus a ions o he Ame ican
eali y, complaining o his own lack o alen and no ha ing a Leona do o a Ma egna close by o ake cha ge o
so necessa y a ask. The same occu ed wi h F ay Diego de Ocaña, who c ossed he Ame ican con inen in
sea ch o alms o his con en o Guadalupe in Ex emadu a. Acco ding o he ske ches which a e conse ed in
he Lib a y o O iedo in Spain, F ay Diego a emp ed o d aw na i es in a ealis ic manne , bu seeking g ea e
a is ic quali y in his d awing, s okes we e supe imposed un il hese Indians became igu es wi h Eu opean ea-
u es, d essed in he Spanish ashion, and co e ed wi h a mou and helme (Ga cía Sáez, 1990: 420-430).
The F ench also el his need and, in 1564, hey named Jacques Le Moyne de Mo gues as o icial pain e o
he expedi ion ha Jean Ribaul and René de Laudonniè e we e o ganizing o he coloniza ion o Flo ida. Also,
an English pain e , John Whi e, was chosen by Wal e Raleigh o pa icipa e in one o he i s English incu -
sions in o No h Ame ica, speci ically in he se lemen o Vi ginia. The d awings o Le Moyne and he wa e -
colou s o John Whi e s ill su i e and a e o g ea impo ance in unde s anding he ision o he i s Eu opean
colonis s in No h Ame ica. In hese images, o unques ionable e hnological alue and wi hou equal in he es
o he con inen , he ep oduc ion o ce ain Eu opean s anda ds o deco um and beau y a e also seen. As J. H.
Ellio indica es, Whi e obse ed hose people “ h ough he eyes o someone who had a di ec in e es in p omo -
ing he p ocess o English coloniza ion, and hus selec ed hose scenes o he li e o he na i es which con ibu ed
o c ea ing he bes possible image o Ame ica in he minds o possible, u u e immig an s” (B y, 1992: 10).
This in en ion o John Whi e was ein o ced by Theodo de B y in his collec ion o a el s o ies, when im-
M. del M. Ramí ez-Al a ado
54
p o ing he de ails o he d awings o he Englishman h ough he use o eng a ing on coppe pla es. The skil ul
handling o his echnique allowed he sha pening o de ails and he “Eu opeaniza ion” o he indigenous cha -
ac e is ics ob ained by Whi e in his d awings, in o de o make hem mo e app op ia e o Eu opean consump-
ion. Many o he eng a ings o Theodo de B y, inspi ed by Whi e and Moyne, po ay he igu es o he na-
i es as G eek and Roman s a ues.
The wo ks o Theodo de B y a e undamen al because, h ough eng a ed images o he highes quali y, hey
managed o consolida e he amous an i-Spanish Black Legend in Eu ope du ing he ansi ion om he six-
een h o he se en een h cen u y. The ci cula ion o he His o ia del Mondo Nuo o by he Milanese, Gi olamo
Benzoni, in olumes ou , i e and six o he G ands Voyages-Ame icae con ibu ed o his heme o a g ea ex-
en . Al hough his wo k was published on a ious occasions h oughou he six een h cen u y and was ansla ed
in o se e al languages, i was ne e ansla ed in o he Spanish, no p in ed in Spain, due o i s con emp uous
e e ences o he Conquis ado s. Howe e , i achie ed a ema kable impac h ough he wo k o he Ge man
publishe . The p esen a ion o he six h olume o he collec ion o ips o Theodo de B y, in which he i s
pa o he wo k o Benzoni is ep oduced, says:
The e ollow au hen ic illus a ions o all he new, s ange and ex ao dina y s o ies and accoun s, which
uly happened in he Kingdom o Pe u [...]. Wi h he au hen ic desc ip ion and explana ion o hese en-
g a ings, pu o de ly a he oo o each igu e. All ca e ully, delica ely and a is ically eng a ed in coppe
and b ough o ligh again by Theodo de B y o Liège (B y, 1992: 216).
Miguel de Mon aigne saw B azilian Indians in he ci y o Rouen bu , as can be ead in his w i ings, he always
con inued belie ing in hose Tupinambá cannibals ha he Eu opeans knew h ough he eng a ings which illus-
a ed he wo ks o he F ench ch onicle s. He would la e w i e an in e es ing essay en i led, De los caníbales,
published in 1580 in he F ench ci y o Bo deaux and o which e e ence will be made la e (Mon aige, 1965).
F om his essay i is deduced ha he w i e had access o di e en ch onicles o he ime. The s ay o he B a-
zilian Indians in he F ench ci y o Rouen has been documen ed by many au ho s. Mon aigne’s con ac wi h
hese na i es is e iewed by Hugh Honou in The Eu opean ision o Ame ica (Honou , 1975: 7).
As an example, And é The e , cosmog aphe o he King o F ance, who was in B azil in he middle o he
six een h cen u y (and au ho o La Cosmog aphie Uni e selle illus a ed wi h a ious eng a ings included in
his s udy) (The e , 1982), was opposed o ha de ini ion o he na i e in luenced by he idea o he ba ba ous,
i a ional, iolen and ea some mediae al sa age, so deeply oo ed in he con empo a y images (al hough, mo e
p ecisely, hese cha ac e is ics a e seen in some o he chalcog aphies which we e included in his wo k):
… he e a e many who main ain he absu d opinion ha hese people who we call sa ages li e in he o es s
and ields in he manne o beas s, as hai y as bea s, dee o lions, e en ep esen ing hem hus in ich
pain ings; in sho , o desc ibe a sa age hey ha e gi en him an abundance o hai om head o oo , as an
insepa able acciden [...]. On he con a y, he sa ages [...] lea e he belly o hei mo he s as beau i ul and
p e y as he child en o ou Eu ope (Kapple , 1986: 186).
Such in o ma ion achie ed a wide ci cula ion. The desc ip ions o he Ame ican na i e made a his ime
widely de e mined he Eu opean iew o la e yea s, as can be obse ed o example in he di e en e e ences
made o he con inen and i s inhabi an s by a ious w i e s (Shakespea e, Hobbes, P é os , Rousseau, Goe he,
Schille ) and by Eu opean a is s o epu e (Goya, Gi ode , Delac oix, Do é) who ne e c ossed he A lan ic.
In addi ion, hese desc ip ions also had a deep in luence on he iden i y o he inhabi an s o he Ame ican
con inen hemsel es. The en y in o Wes e n his o y o he peoples o Ame ica was egula ed by di e se ex s
and w i ings (almos all he in o ma ion on he na i es in he six een h cen u y came om Eu opeans), and by
he ep esen a ions ha we e based on hese accoun s. Fo all ha , i would no be un il 1537, wi h he Bull,
Sublimis Deus, p omulga ed by Pope Paul III, when, a e di icul con o e sies which had he e ible inclina-
ion o an h opophagy as hei excuses, i was inally dec eed ha he na i es we e a ional beings, ue humans
who did no ha e o be educed o sla e y and who we e able o ecei e he ai h (howe e , o a long ime, al-
hough hey could pa icipa e in he sac amen s, nei he he na i es no hei child en we e conside ed sui able o
ollow he p ies hood) (Paul III, 1537). The sla e y o he na i es was allowed by Royal Cha e in 1503. La e ,
i would be somewha egula ed in 1512 wi h he enac men o he Laws o Bu gos (Pe e a, 1993: 25).
This di usion o he igu e o he cannibal had consequences in o he sphe es. F om he i een h cen u y he
e m Ca ibe ( om he Caniba unde s ood by Columbus as he e e ence made by he Taino Indians o he ea ul
M. del M. Ramí ez-Al a ado
55
people o he G ea Khan) was used o designa e he an h opophagous inhabi an s o he An illes and Sou h
Ame ican no h coas . S ill oday, in he Venezuelan Amazon, e ocious pi anhas which li e in he O inoco
Ri e a e me apho ically called “Ca ibe” ish.
As he quan i y o images and disse a ions on he subjec shows, he cannibalism o he na i es caused deep
shock among he Eu opeans o he six een h cen u y. While he exis ence o an as ic beings in he Ame ican
con inen was g adually discoun ed, he image o he an h opophagus o human appea ance, bu wi h mons ous
cus oms, was gaining g ound. I he na i e we e compa able o a mons ous being, hen he had o be exp essed
in images acco ding o he inhe i ed adi ion o he Middle Ages, when i was inconcei able o speak o mon-
s e s wi hou o e ing hei image. Fo ha eason, he mediae al ex s (and la e he incunabula) which spoke o
mons e s, hyb id beas s and magical beings, a e ound o be ull o images. The ac , as un olds h oughou his
esea ch, is ha he imagined o m is he mos signi ican since i de e mines wha is unknown.
Fo he Eu opeans o he six een h cen u y, he na i e, o igina ing om a s ange un amilia wo ld, cons i-
u ed a g ea unknown which was esol ed, li le by li le (and wi h di e se esul s), o he ex en ha he sa age
(angelical o an h opophagous) became a isual objec .
3. Me hodology: The Fi s Xylog aphic Eng a ings Tha Ci cula ed in Eu ope
The co pus o he p esen s udy consis ed o nine y- wo images o he Ame ican na i e wi h he ollowing
cha ac e is ics:
• All he images a e eng a ed (xylog aphs o chalcog aphies).
• All he eng a ings ep esen images o he Cen al and Sou h Ame ican na i e, o his daily li e, cus oms,
i es and celeb a ions.
• The nine y- wo eng a ings we e p in ed om he end o he i een h cen u y o he beginnings o he se -
en een h cen u y ( he i s in 1493 and he las in 1613). The p in ing da es o all o hem a e known exac ly
o app oxima ely: i een h cen u y: ou eng a ings (4.3 pe cen ); six een h cen u y: eigh y- i e eng a ings
(92.47 pe cen ); se en een h cen u y: 3 eng a ings (3.22 pe cen ).
• All hese eng a ings we e published in Eu ope and ci cula ed in loose shee s o as illus a ions o maps, le -
e s, ch onicles, and wo ks o he ime and collec ions o ips which we e w i en and published a he ime.
• Rega ding he o igin o he eng a ings, he ollowing cases a e ound:
○ The au ho o he eng a ing is he p in e o publishe : wen y- h ee eng a ings (24.21 pe cen ).
○ The au ho and he p in e o he eng a ing a e known (bo h a e di e en people): h ee eng a ings (3.22
pe cen ).
○ Only he p in e o he p in -shop is known: o y-eigh eng a ings (51.61 pe cen ).
○ Only he au ho o he eng a ing is known: six eng a ings (6.45 pe cen ).
○ The eng a ings a e anonymous and he p in e is no known: en eng a ings (10.52 pe cen ).
○ No e e ence could be ound, al hough i is p obable ha i exis s: wo eng a ings (2.15 pe cen ).
The nine y- wo ep esen a ions o he Ame ican na i e we e g ouped in i e b oad ecu en subjec s, de ined
a e a s udy o he con en o each indi idual image. This classi ica ion was he mos unc ional, al hough i had
limi a ions due he disp opo ion o images which, o a ce ain ex en , could be app aised among he a ious
hema ic g oups and he di icul y in some case whe e he eng a ings could be included in mo e han one o
hese g oups.
In gene al, he images we e g ouped acco ding o he ollowing hemes:
1) Fi s con ac s wi h he na iga o s, such as Figu e 1 and Figu e 2: included in his g oup a e he eng a ings
ha ci cula ed wi h di e se incunable edi ions o La Ca a o Ch is ophe Columbus sen o Luis San ángel
which had b oad ci cula ion a he end o he i een h cen u y and he s a o he six een h.
To al: ou eng a ings (4.3 pe cen o he o al co pus o images).
2) Clo hing, objec s o ado nmen and cus oms: his g oup includes hose images in which special emphasis is
gi en o he physical appea ance, i es, es i i ies and daily li e o he na i es. The ep esen a ions o cannibal-
ism and idola y we e excluded: al hough hey a e desc ibed in ch onicles as “cus oms” o he na i es, hey ha e
been di e en ia ed as sepa a e g oups in ou s udy due o he quan i y o images on hese hemes.
To al: o y eng a ings (43.01 pe cen o he o al co pus o images).
In o de o acili a e hei analysis, he o y images on his heme a e sub-di ided in o six sub-g oups. These
sub-g oups o each heme we e o med when:

M. del M. Ramí ez-Al a ado
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Figu e 1. “Insula Hyspana”, De insulis in en is epis ola
C is o e i Colom, 1493, Basel.
Figu e 2. The his o y o he disco e y o he New Indian Is-
land o he Cana ies: ex ac o a le e o Ch is ophe Co-
lumbus, 1493, Rome.
• The images had he same ex ual e e ence ( his is he mos equen case).
• The images had common cha ac e is ics ega ding he ep esen a ion o ce ain mo i s.
• The images deal wi h he same hemes o ac s desc ibed in di e en ch onicles.
These sub-g oups a e he ollowing:
a) Eng a ings ha ha e he le e s o Ame igo Vespucci as ex ual e e ences, especially he missi e known
as Mundus No us.
b) Images which ollow he model o “ iumphal ma ch”.
c) Eng a ings which illus a ed he Pa e p ime a de la Ch ónica del Pe ú by Ped o Cieza o León. See Figu e
3. d) Eng a ings which illus a ed he ch onicle o he Ge man a elle Hans S aden, as shown in Figu e 4.
Ve sions o hese eng a ings made by Theodo de B y.
e) Eng a ings which illus a ed La his o ia del Mondo Nuo o by he Milanese Gi olamo Benzoni. Ve sions o
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Figu e 3. Ci y o Cuzco. Pa e p ime a de la Ch ónica del
Pe ú (Fi s pa o he Ch onicle o Pe u) by Ped o Cieza de
León. 1553, Se ille. M. de Mon esdoca, Edi o .
Figu e 4. Hans S aden dancing wi h Tupinambá women.
Ve a His o ia (T ue S o y…) by Hans S aden, 1557, Ma -
bu g, And eas Colben edi o .
hese eng a ings made by Theodo de B y. In addi ion, a xylog aph is included which illus a ed he La His o ia
Gene al de las Indias by Fe nández de O iedo y Valdés (1851) due o i s ela ionship wi h he eng a ings o his
g oup.
) Eng a ings which illus a ed he ex s o he F ench ch onicle s, And é The e and Jean de Lé y. Ve sions
o he eng a ings which illus a ed he wo k o Lé y made by Theodo de B y.
3) Cannibalism: bo h he di ec ep esen a ions o an h opophagy, and he p io and subsequen p epa a ions
o he cannibal i es and ce emonies, ha e been included in his g oup.
To al: hi y-one eng a ings (33.33 pe cen o he o al co pus o images).
The eng a ings o his heme ha e been di ided in o ou sub-g oups:
a) Eng a ings which ha e he missi e Mundus No us o Ame igo Vespucci as a ex ual e e ence, as indi-
ca ed in Figu e 5.
b) Eng a ings which ha e he Ca a de Ame igoVespucci sob e las islas ecién halladas en cua o iajes suyos
as a ex ual e e ence.
c) Eng a ings which illus a ed he cannibalis ic p ac ices o he ibes o he B azilian coas , o example
Figu e 6 and Figu e 7.
d) Eng a ings which illus a ed he La his o ia del Mondo Nuo o by Gi olamoBenzoni. Ve sions o hese xy-
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Figu e 5. Fi s ep esen a ion o cannibalism. 1504, Nu embe g o
Augsbu g. Au ho /edi o : unknown.
Figu e 6. His oi e d’un oyage ai en la e e du B esil by Jean de Lé y,
1578, La Rochelle, An oine Chuppin edi o .
Figu e 7. Ve a His o ia (T ue S o y…) by Hans S aden, 1557, Ma bu g,
And eas Colben edi o .
M. del M. Ramí ez-Al a ado
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log aphs made by Theodo de B y.
4) Idola y: included in his g oup, a e he images on he cul p ac ices and o he eligious belie s o he
Ame ican na i es as in Figu e 8.
To al: nine eng a ings (9.67 pe cen o he o al co pus o images).
5) Allego ies o he Ame ican con inen , such as Figu e 9 and Figu e 10: he allego ical ep esen a ion o he
con inen s, common in he old cosmog aphy, eappea in he six een h cen u y wi h he disco e y o a con inen ,
unknown un il ha momen , which equi ed i o be di e en ia ed om he es and, o his end, ep esen ed wi h
i s own a ibu es. F om he mid-six een h cen u y, di e se allego ical ep esen a ions o he Ame ican con inen
began o ci cula e and i is hese which a e included in his g oup. The allego ies cons i u e he pe soni ica ion
(symbolic ep esen a ion by means o human igu es) o abs ac ideas ( eligious, mo al, philosophical, na u al,
e c.) which a e de ined h ough he p esence o one o mo e a ibu es ha cha ac e ize hem. The a ibu es a e
in u n eal o con en ional objec s which se e o ecognize he pe sonage and which equi e, and a e uni ed o,
he same meaning o he allego y (Es eban Llo en e, 1990). Fo Pano sky (1987), he allego ies can be de ined
Figu e 8. Indians alking wi h he Pa e p ime a de la Ch ónica
del Pe ú (Fi s pa o he Ch onicle o Pe u) by Ped o Cieza de
León. 1553, Se ille. M. de Mon esdoca, Edi o , de il.
Figu e 9. Ame ica by Philipp Galle. An we p, be ween 1590/
1600. Edi o : Lepido F.