What is most interesting to me as we wrap up the entirety of “The First New Chronicle and Good Government” is the intended effect and audience of this piece of writing. While Don Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala addresses “Good Christians”, “Bad Christians”, and Christians of every other kind, his main audience is the Spanish King Philip III. While cognizant of this, it is also important to acknowledge the fact that the attitude and choice in wording towards the Christian citizens is sometimes a bit… aggressive, to say the least. This is an interesting choice on his behalf, as he is trying to balance pleasing Spanish royalty and also criticize the Spanish colonial society.
For example, corregidores were local administrative figures for the Spanish judicial system. These were colonial figures placed inside of the pueblos that many Indians were apart of. He immediately rips into these figures, calling them “absolute rulers with little fear of justice or God” (p. 167), however these figures are directly sat under the seat of the oh-so Holy King Philip III. In this way, it is impossible to imagine how his construction of the King as a mighty, holy figure can be separated from his disgust with Spanish colonial civilization at all.
However, I think that he attempts to diverge these two concepts in their relation to former Inca leadership. The Andean leader, Topa Inca Yupanqui, was the king throughout the natural kingdom of Indian and Inca country. Throughout the book, Guaman Poma is emphasizing this culture and hierarchy’s importance and significance, especially in respect to religion and government. It is then pertinent to note how Guaman Poma regards Topa Inca Yupanqui’s title as having passed on to “our lord, His Sacred Catholic Majesty king Don Philip III of Spain”. In this way, he is connecting Spanish Catholic royalty with Andean Inca royalty, without the crossing over of all the minor political details. This is the forethought with which Guaman Poma then goes on to absolutely roast the hell out of the rest of the governmental policies of colonial Spain enforced on ‘Latin America’.
So sure, he tried to tip toe and flatter his way into the king’s lap, so that they could gossip about all the king’s horses and men who sucked. Yet this does still leave a cognitively dissonant gap in the choices of tone between addressing “your sacred royal Catholic Majesty” (p. 3) and “heathen idolaters” (p. 291). What I wonder, in the midst of all of his political mind-mapping and manifesto making, was how he expected his voice to come off to the king? Was he aiming for confidence, with the regality of an Andean nobleman putting forth his ideas? If so, I’m not sure promising to kiss the hands and feet of the king was the most cocky move. Was he aiming for humility? Because he sure didn’t reach that either.
Hi! I also have many questions about the tonal shift we see in the second half. To me it almost feels as if he wrote this part originally and went back to fluff up the first half in order to make it palatable for the king of Spain. Despite that, the rawness of the second portion is almost admirable in its lack of humility. Is it the smartest thing to say? Probably not, but I wonder if there even is a way he could present these crimes without sounding judgemental.
I agree with your ideas about tonal inconsistencies in the second half. The first half, as we talked about, uses a lot of flattery and then (seemingly) out of nowhere it becomes a lot more aggressive. Wasn’t expecting that! I did find that towards the end it shifted back a bit, but I cannot imagine that King Philip III would have been keen to read on if there were hundreds of pages like that. I think that perhaps this was an attempt to show how serious the issue was but at the same time I’m not sure how a royal audience would have stomached it.
The over-the-top appeasement turned roasting was quite exhilarating. I am thinking too of Guaman’s mostly lacking humility throughout the letter. It was not until the end, in the case where he talked about his own endeavours with lying and thieving Colonial despots and drew the sad picture of him and his son wandering alone after their house had been taken, where we see some of his humility. Immediately afterwards, stating and proffering himself up as the only possible solution; allow me to be the connection between Spain and the Indies, allow me to ensure everyone is in line, including the despots, and Jesus is in the hearts.