week3—Garcilaso’s Kernel of Inca; Excess, Essence, and the Capture of Time—
reading blog #5 – Garcilaso’s Royal Commentaries of the Inca
I really enjoyed this reading. To be honest, I felt Garcilaso’s writing captured what was missing for me in Poma’s writing. Even though the Garcilaso’s intention may be more ‘scientifically-detaied-oriented’, I feel it has much more soul. It captures something different than Poma’s work.
I think I’ve been reading a different version than everyone else, but I enjoyed the introduction so I just kept with it. This excerpt in particular I felt captured how Garcilaso’s writing and intentions felt.
“Garcilaso believed in the future, and his thought was that of a man of the future who refuses to deny, on one side or the other, the things his young country may be proud of; and in this, as a man of the sixteenth century, he was incredibly ahead of his time. For it must be reiterated that Garcilaso did not reject the forward march of history and, although he took his sustenance from the past, he also spoke of the present, and wanted to assist in the realization of the future. He knew that this “vanquished people” would continue to form the great mass of Peruvian humanity, and it was for this reason that he insisted so fervently, at that critical time, upon its past grandeur, and was inclined to forget the elements of this past that had disturbed his conscience.”
In a way, Garcilaso’s writing felt more ancestral and intentionally preservational, whereas Poma’s writing felt like there was a more aggressive agenda. Perhaps, I sensed that I was not Poma’s audience—understandably so, as I am not a king. With Poma, it felt like I was intruding. With Garcilaso, it felt like a communication of history, like a codex of education of which I can look back into. Though I have no relational attachment to this Incan history, it felt a bit more welcoming, as if my learning and subsequent memory/remembrance of this history was aiding the goal of preservation and futurity. I liked that Garilaso’s writing felt like a tribute to Incan ancestry.
In many ways, I felt Garcilaso to be utilizing the same affects of Incan imperialization—the strategy of excess and affection. The preservation of memory through the same strategies of Incan imperialization is quite a brilliant approach, in my opinion, but perhaps I am giving Garcilaso too much credit. Who knows? All I can say is that I enjoy it.
My question for you all is this: did you feel welcomed into this text? How does Garcilaso compare with Poma, in your opinion?
2 replies on “week3—Garcilaso’s Kernel of Inca; Excess, Essence, and the Capture of Time—”
Hi Jasmin!! Thank you for sharing your appreciation of the text. I particularly liked how you articulated how you “felt Garcilaso to be utilizing the same affects of Incan imperialization—the strategy of excess and affection.” This was a terrific observation, and as readers made us feel welcomed into Incan history. I feel like I’ve been struggling to get my chronology straight and just know about Incan culture, and I was just pouring through the pages of this book because I was so eager to learn more about the Incas. Relative to Poma, I felt the organization of the book and the super clear table of contents made the book much more enjoyable.
“In many ways, I felt Garcilaso to be utilizing the same affects of Incan imperialization—the strategy of excess and affection.” An insightful observation. Excess is usually associated with a baroque mentality, but it may be that Garcilaso recreated some similarities between the culture of the Incas and that of the conquistadors and presented them in such a way as to make them more attractive… but I’m not that familiar with the texts of Inca Garcilaso to affirm it. However, I will continue to think about what you propose, because it is an enlightening read in terms of affect.