The Indian Militia and Description of the Indies

“In a new edition of The Indian Militia, Timothy F. Johnson’s translation and Kris Lane’s introduction and footnote commentaries faithfully render the conquistador’s viewpoint…Johnson and Lane deftly distill the personality of a man who was vainglorious and cruel, but also piteous in his frustrated ambitions.” - Jesse Cromwell, H-Net Reviews

“The Indian Militia and Description of the Indies will contribute to a deeper understanding of topics such as the history of science, the history of medicine, the story of Spanish colonization, and ethnohistory. Kris Lane’s lively, literate introduction does a fine job of contextualizing the text and its contents as well as the life and times of Bernardo de Vargas Machuca.” - Susan Elizabeth Ramírez, author of To Feed and Be Fed: The Cosmological Bases of Authority and Identity in the Andes

“This volume is a wonderful addition to the English-language historiography of colonial Latin America.” - J. Michael Francis, author of Invading Colombia: Spanish Accounts of the Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada Expedition of Conquest

“The Indian Militia is a welcome addition to the growing body of English translations of less well known texts concerning the early Spanish empire in the Americas. The editor and translator have provided a useful introduction. . . . Established scholars, graduate students, and undergraduates will all benefit from having this volume in a convenient edition available for study or teaching.” - Ronald H. Fritze, Sixteenth Century Journal

“[A] wonderful contribution to the study of the Spanish colonization of the New World and sets a high standard for translational practices in general.” - Noel Fallows, Renaissance Quarterly

“In translating Bernardo Vargas Machuca’s Indian Militia (Milícia Indiana) and Description of the Indies, Kris Lane and Timothy F. Johnson have provided English-speakers with the first glimpse into the experiences of one of Spanish America’s most important military writers. Beyond its value to military historians, the text also contains valuable information on the colonial history of New Granada, as well as information for the burgeoning field of natural history in the Americas. Because Vargas provides little information regarding the location of the events he described, Kris Lane’s introduction usefully places him in northern South America, identifies the native peoples he fails to name and provides the necessary geographic and historical context that the text itself does not provide.” - Patricia Seed, Journal of Military History

“Once again, Kris Lane (this time, along with translator Timothy F. Johnson) has taken on a difficult project that others might consider too much of a challenge, and unlikely to produce anything in the way of ‘academic splash.’ And, once again, he, together with Johnson, has turned the project on its head, through careful research and a skilled writing style, to generate a first-rate example of a second-rate ‘conquistador.’” - Karen Vieira Powers, A Contracorriente

“This quirky and engaging book is a unique and fascinating source that allows students in to the mind of a particular type of Spaniard.” - John F. Schwaller, The Americas

“Though unequivocally directed at assisting the speedy conquest of still independent indigenous groups, Milicia indiana offers fascinating insights into the transformative effects of long residence in the Indies. . . . This is a smooth translation, engagingly introduced, which raises many questions that historians will no doubt wish to pursue further.” - Caroline A. Williams, Hispanic American Historical Review