Stern's monograph

One of the first things I noticed about Stern's monograph was the similarity in writing style to Clendinnen. Like Clendinnen, "Peru's Indian Peoples and the Challenge of Spanish Conquest" is a second addition. In the introduction, Stern explained that in the time of the first addition, the meaning of "conquest" was something entirely different than the 1992 meaning of "conquest". As time went on, scholars began to understand the "truths" about the conquest. An example of one of the "truths" was that the Spanish Conquest was in fact never completed and therefore Stern's work was incomplete because he needed to include the modern idea.

Another observation I had was of course the word choice of his title; more specifically the "Challenge of the Spanish Conquest". As a reader just browsing the row of books, one might assume that the book refers to the challenges that the Spanish encountered. However, Stern clearly states that was not his intention at all. He stated, " I wish to focus more specifically on how the Indian peoples of Huamanga met the challenge of European conquest, and with what consequences for themselves, their colonizers, and the society that was created". Like many of the authors we have read so far this semester, Stern also used many Spanish primary sources as well as secondary sources from other scholars of related topics.