Good Faith and Truthful Ingorance

Cook Alexandra Parma & Cook Noble David

ISBN 10: 0822310864 / ISBN 13: 9780822310860

Published by Duke University Press, Durham & London, 1991

About this Item

A case of transatlantic bigamy.206 pages.

Seller Inventory # 011926

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Good Faith and Truthful Ingorance
• Publisher: Duke University Press, Durham & London
• Publication Date: 1991
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0822310864
• ISBN 13: 9780822310860
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Edition
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

Published on the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' discovery of America, "Good Faith and Truthful Ignorance" uncovers from history the strange story of another, lesser-known Spanish explorer, Francisco Noguerol de Ulloa. In 1556, accompanied by his second wife, Francisco returned to his home in Spain after a profitable, 20-year sojourn in Peru. However, unlike other rich conquistadores who returned to their land of birth, Francisco was not allowed to settle into a life of leisure. Instead, he was charged with bigamy and the illegal shipment of silver, and was consequently arrested and imprisoned. Francisco's first wife (thought long dead) had filed suit in Spain against her renegade husband. So begins the legal tale of an explorer and his two wives, reconstructed through the authors' original archival research. Drawing on the records from the trial, the narrative of Francisco's adventures provides a window into daily life in 16th-century Spain, as well as the experience of conquest and settlement of the New World. Told from the point of view of the conquerors, Francisco's story reveals not only the lives of the middle class and minor nobility, but also much about those at the lower rungs of the social order.

Review

OIt was impossible to put this book down. It is a superb example of excellence in historical reconstruction and narrative. It is also a fine example of how, through the window of daily live and personal experience, we can apprehend and understand complex social and institutional processes... For social historians who want their students to live history Oin the flesh,O this work is a must.O --Asuncion Lavrin, Hispanic American Historical Review