Abstract

FIGUEROA CANCINO, JUAN DAVID. Regiones muy ricas de oro y gemas . Information and Representations about Precious Stones in the First Printed Sources on Spanish America (1493-1526). Front. hist. [online]. 2017, vol.22, n.2, pp.114-138. ISSN 2027-4688.

This article examines the representations of and practices regarding precious stones during the first two and a half decades of Castilian expansion in America, in light of the printed sources of the period, especially De Orbe Novo Decades by Peter Martyr d'Anghiera. Unlike gold and pearls, no significant quantities of precious stones were found until the 1530s,

and information on these elements remained mainly in the realm of expectation. The exploration of Tierra Firme revealed greater quantities of gems in the interior of South America, but most part of Spanish conquistadors apparently did not give them a particular importance, unlike the king, his officials and chroniclers.

Keywords : precious stones; gemstones; Spanish America; Columbus; colonization; Martyr D'Anghiera.

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