"The Spanish Pioneers" is the work of Charles F. Lummis, a Puritan on both sides of his house for several generations, a graduate of Harvard University, and an American to the core. Many will be surprised to read the following excerpt from this great work: "The whole policy of Spain toward the Indians of the New World was one of humanity, justice, education, and moral suasion; and though there were of course individual Spaniards who broke the strict laws of their country as to the treatment of the Indians, they were duly punished therefor."
Charles Fletcher Lummis was a United States journalist and an activist for Indian rights and historic preservation. A traveler in the American Southwest, he settled in Los Angeles, California, where he also became known as a historian, photographer, ethnographer, archaeologist, poet and librarian. (Source: Wikipedia)
The Spanish Pioneers and the California Missions is an excellent summary of the great feats achieved by many of Spain's pioneers in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries.
This work is beautifully written and the author manages to keep the reader engaged throughout all chapters. From the discovery of America to the conquest of Mexico, the expansion into Peru, the exploration of the current United States and the founding of the California Missions, The Spanish Pioneers allows the reader to travel through a wonderful time of history in which the discovery of the unknown drove many great men towards unforeseen dangers and dangerous expeditions.
Charles Lummis does an excellent job of putting Hernán Cortés, Francisco Pizarro, Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, Pedro de Alvarado, Junípero Serra and many others were they truly belong in history. The author's effort to provide a true description of both the events and the characters is excellent and goes well beyond the usual stereotypes found in many other works about this topic.
This is a very enjoyable piece of work. Well worth reading.
Forgotten or unknown 19c masterpiece that portrays the good side of the conquistadors in contrast to Prescott's famous and earlier version that emphasizes their bigotry and cruelty.
In this book, Charles Lummis recounts the history that the USA of today has chosen to forget, remaining oblivious to the legacy of the Spanish missionaries and their native flocks in the Southwest. This complete ignorance of the past in general and the role of the Spanish empire in bringing about the Modern world in particular, has resulted on the one hand in the cancellation culture of the woke left, and on the other hand a building of walls and a hatred of Central American migrants, that are simply taking back what was once theirs.
It's so pro-conquistador that Lummis calls them "pioneers." There no mention of skin color, instead it's "Christians" vs. "pagans" or "savages." Saintly conquistadors (their cruelty is poo-pooed) are "victimized" by treacherous Natives (whose civilizations are poo-pooed). Blew my mind.
Nos hemos quejado mucho (y con toda razón) de la leyenda negra sobre la historia de España, pero esta obra cae en una leyenda rosa tan empalagosa, que repele un tanto. No obstante en los hechos ( en las razones ya es más discutible), es bastante creíble.