A Harvest of Reluctant Souls: The Memorial of Fay Alonso de Benavides, 1630 [Hardcover]

Alonso De Benavides (Author), Baker H. Morrow (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1996

Nearly four hundred years old, this unique classic of Southwestern American history is now available in a modern translation to a wide reading public. Fray Alonso de Benavides, a Portuguese Franciscan and third head of the mission churches of New Mexico, published this highly engaging book in 1630 as his official report to the king of Spain. In 1625, Father Benavides and his party travelled north from Mexico City via creaking oxcart and mule back to reach the mission fields of New Mexico.A keen observer, Benavides described New Mexico as a strange land of frozen rivers, Indian citadels, and elusive mines full of silver and garnets. Benavides and his Franciscan brothers built schools, erected churches, engineered peace treaties, gazed in awe at endless miles of buffalo grazing placidly on the Great Plains, and were said to perform miracles. The most thorough and riveting account ever written of Southwestern life in the early seventeen century, "A Harvest of Reluctant Souls" is at once medieval and a tale of the Renaissance - a portrait of the Pueblos, the Apaches, and the Navajos at a time of fundamental change in their lives.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Fray Alonso de Benavides, a Portuguese Franciscan and third head of the mission churches of New Mexico, published this highly engaging work in 1630 as his official report to the king of Spain. Now, nearly 400 years old, this unique classic of southwestern American history is available in a modern translation by Baker Morrow, making it accessible to a wide reading public. In 1625, Father Benavides and his party traveled north from Mexico City via creaking oxcart and muleback to reach the mission fields of New Mexico. A keen observer, Benavides described New Mexico as a strange land of frozen rivers, Indian citadels, and elusive mines full of silver and garnets. Benavides and his brother Franciscans built schools and churches, engineered peace treaties, gazed in awe at the endless miles of buffalo grazing on the Great Plains, and were said to perform miracles. A Harvest Of Reluctant Souls is the most thorough, riveting account ever written of southwestern life in the early 1600s. It is at once medieval and a tale of the Renaissance, a portrait of the Pueblos, the Apaches, and the Navajos at a time of fundamental change. A Harvest Of Reluctant Souls will be of great importance for Native American studies, Western American and Catholic history collections. -- Midwest Book Review

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Spanish

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 111 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Colorado (November 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870813854
• ISBN-13: 978-0870813856
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,748,546 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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