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Pre-Contact America

Miniature Village Scene
House model. West Mexico. Nayarit. 200 BC–AD 300. Painted buff ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (1A)

House Model with Occupants
House model. West Mexico. Nayarit. 200 BC–AD 300. Painted red ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (1B)

House Model with Musicians
House model. West Mexico. Nayarit. 200 BC–AD 300. Ceramic with traces of pre-fired paint. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (1C)

Mexican Antiquities
José Luciano Castañeda. Monumentos antiguos existentes en la República Mexicana [Existing antique monuments in the Republic of Mexico]. [1824]. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (2)

Seeing Maya Splendor
Frederick Catherwood (1799–1854). Study for Mayan Monument, ca. 1842. Pencil and brown wash drawing on paper. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (3)

Heroic Archaeologist
Claude-Joseph-Désiré Charnay (1828–1915). Ruines du Mexique et types mexicains [Ruins of Mexico and types of Mexicans]. 1862–1863. Albumen prints. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (4A)

Fifteenth-Century Venice
“Venecie” from Hartmann Schedel. Liber chronicum. (Book of chronicles). Nuremberg: A. Koberger, 1493. Rare Book and Special Collections Division (7C.2)

Cordoba, Spain, ca. 1617
“Corduba,” from Georg Braun and Franz Hogenberg. Théâtre du cites du monde. [Brussels?: 1576?–1620?]. Geography and Map Division (7E.1)

Rome, ca. 1578
“Roma,” from Georg Braun and Franz Hogenberg. Théâtre du cites du monde. [Brussels?: 1576?–1620?]. Geography and Map Division (7E.2)

Views of Tenochtitlán and Cusco
Georg Braun and Franz Hogenberg. “Mexico, regia et celebris Hispaniae novae civitas (Mexico, regal and reknowned state of New Spain)” and “Cusco, regni Peru in novo orbe caput (Cusco, capitol of the kingdom of Peru in the New World) ”in Civitates Orbis Terrarum. (Commonwealths of the world) Cologne: T. Graminaeus, 1572. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (5)

Nanjing, China, in 1400
Jin ling tu yong (The city of Nanjing in 1400). Nanjing: Zhu Zhifan, 1624. Rare Book Collection, Asian Division (7A)

Sixteenth-Century Istanbul
“Byzantium, nunc Constantinopolis” (Byzantium, now Constantinople) from Georg Braun and Franz Hogenberg. Théâtre du cites du monde. [Brussels?: 1576?–1620?]. Geography and Map Division (7E.2)

Fabled City of Timbuktu
Réné Caillié. “View of the City of Timbuctoo” from Travels through Central Africa to Timbuctoo and across the Great Desert to Morocco, performed in the years 1824–1828. vol 2. London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, 1830. General Collections (7F)

Effigy Incense Burners
Pair of bi-conical effigy incense burners. Central Mexican Highlands. Mixtec. AD 1200–1500. Polychromed buff ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (10)

Ballplayer Relief Panel
Ballplayer relief panel. Guatemalan Lowlands. La Carona (Site “Q”). Maya, AD 550–950. Limestone. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (11)

Miniature Flasks with Ballgame Themes
Miniature flasks with ballgame themes. Guatemalan Lowlands. AD 600–900. Mold-made, cream-slipped, ceramic with red cinnabar. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (12 A–D)

Ballgame Ceremonial Stone Hip Belt
Ballgame ceremonial stone hip belt. Puerto Rico. Taíno, AD 700–1500. Hard gray stone. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (14) Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

Calling People to Gather
Stucco painted conch shell. Maya. AD 700–900. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (15)

Monumental Jaguar Sculpture
Monumental jaguar sculpture. Mexico. Southern Veracruz. Maya, AD 600–900. Painted buff ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (19)

Cache Vessel
Two-part cache vessel with applied god heads. Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 200–600. Painted ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (18) Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

“Eccentric” Flints
Two-part cache vessel with applied god heads. Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 200–600. Painted ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (18) “Eccentric” flints. Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 600–900. Chipped gray flint. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (17)

Study of Maya Ruins
Alfred Percival Maudslay (1850–1931). Biologia Centrali-Americana or Contributions to the Knowledge of the Fauna and Flora of Mexico and Central America. Annie Hunter, illustrator. London: R.H. Porter and Dulau, 1889–1902. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (17.1)

Maya Story of the Creation
Diego Rivera (1886–1957). “The Creation.” Illustration for the Popul Vuh, ca. 1931. Watercolor and gouache on paper. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (20) ©Banco de México Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo Museums Trust

Vase with Eleven Figures
Large vase with pseudoglyphs and eleven characters. Guatemalan Highlands, Nebaj region. Maya, AD 600–900. Polychromed orange-gloss ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (8) Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

Vase with Six Figures and Glyphs
White background vase with six figures and glyphs. Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 600–900. Polychromed ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (9) Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

Vase Depicting Seated Ruler and Dwarf
Vase depicting seated ruler, the god Itzam, and a dwarf. Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 600–900. Red-rimmed, black-on-cream ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (23) Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

Shell Cup with Incised Hieroglylphs
Shell cup with incised hieroglyphs. Maya, AD 200–400. Shell. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (28)

Ballgame Yoke in Form of a Toad
Ceremonial ballgame yoke in form of a toad. Mexico. Veracruz. Maya, AD 200–400. Carved gray granite. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (13)

Vase with Deer Hunting Procession
Vase with deer hunting procession. Guatemalan Highlands. Chama style. Maya, AD 600–900. Polychromed orange-gloss ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (16) Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

Vessel with Maya Scribes
Vessel with Maya scribes. Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 600–900. Red-rimmed, black-on-cream ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (22) Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

Plate Depicting Maya Worldview
Large polychrome tripod plate. Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 600–900. Painted orange-gloss ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (27) Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

Miniature Flasks
Painted miniature flasks. Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 600–900. Red and brown-black-on-cream ceramics. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (29) Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

Incised Creamware Vessel
Incised creamware vessel. Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 550–900. Ceramic with a cream-colored slip and cinnabar highlighting in the glyphs. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (24)

Vase with Sixty Hieroglyphs
Vase with sixty hieroglyphs. Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 600–900. Red and black-on-cream ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (33) Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

Bowl with Carved Underworld Scene and Five Hieroglyphs
Bowl with carved underworld scene and five hieroglyphs. Yucatán. Chocholá style. Maya, AD 600–900. Grey ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (33.1) Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

Vase with Stylized Flowers and Primary Standard Sequence Glyph Band
Fleur-de-lis vase with primary standard sequence glyph band. Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 600–900. Black and orange on white ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (33.2) Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

Large Shell Pectoral
Large shell pectoral with narrative scene. Mexico. Maya-Toltec style, AD 900–1200. Incised conch shell. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (33.9) Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

Earspool with Four Incised Glyphs
Earspool with four incised glyphs. Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 200–400. Light green jade and red cinnabar. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (33.4) Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

Pair of Carved Long Bones
Pair of carved long bones. Mexico, Northern Veracruz (Huastec region). Aztec, AD 1200–1500. Carved and polished bone. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (33.5)

Vase with Lords in the Mouths of Serpents
Vase with lords in the mouths of serpents. Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 600–900. Polychrome ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (33.7) Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

Vessel with War and Sacrifice Themes
Tall black-background vase with Teotihuacán-Maya war and sacrifice themes. Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 600–900. Polychrome ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (40.1) Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

Vase with Palace Scene
Tall vase with regal dressing scene in palace. Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 600–900. Polychrome ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (40) Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

A Pre-Contact Codex
Codex VindobonensisMexicanusI. Mexico City: Fondo de Cultura Económica, 1992. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (25)

First Romance Language Grammar
Antonio de Nebrija. (1441–1522). Gramática de la lengua castellana [Grammar of the Castilian language]. Salamanca: 1492. Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (26)

Stone Artifact with Incised Hieroglyphs
Stone torus with incised hieroglyphs. Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 489. Limestone. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (34) Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

Carved Mirror-Back With Hieroglyphs
Carved mirror back with hieroglyphs. Guatemalan Lowlands. Early Classic Maya, AD 200–600. Greenish slate with red cinnabar. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (34.1) Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

Tortuguero Box
The wooden offering container of Aj K’ax B’ahlam of Tortuguero. Mexico. Tabasco. Maya, AD 681. Wood (sapodilla) and red hematite. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (38)

Survey of New Spain
Antonio de Mendoza (1492–1552). “Relacion de las ceremonias . . . de los Indios de la provencia de Mechoacán [Account of the ceremonies . . . of the Indians of the province of Michoacan].” Manuscript, eighteenth century. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (35)

Eighteenth-Century Drawings of Palenque
Ricardo Almendáriz (fl. ca. 1787). Coleccion de estampas copiadas de las figuras originales . . . del Pueblo Palenque [Collection of drawings copied from the original figures . . . of the village of Palenque]. [1787]. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (36)

First Report on the Maya Ruins of Palenque
Antonio del Rio (fl. 1786–1789). Description of the Ruins of an Ancient City, Discovered near Palenque . . . London: Henry Berthoud, and Suttaby, Evance and Fox, 1822. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (37)

Family History of a Spanish Merchant
“Genealogy and Family History of Merchant Alférez Ignacio López de Herrera and wife . . . ” (1703–1739), Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (39)

Miniature “Altar”
Miniature “altar” with three spherical supports and painted glyphs. Guatemalan Lowlands. Maya, AD 200–600. Incised and red-painted marble. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (41) Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

Coiled Stone Rattlesnake With Day Sign
Coiled stone rattlesnake with day sign. Central Mexican Highlands. Aztec, AD 1400–1521. Gray volcanic basalt. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (44) Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

Finding the Past
Antonio de León y Gama (1735–1802). Descripción histórica y cronológica de las dos piedras en la plaza principal de México. Mexico: F. de ZúZiga y Ontiveros, 1792. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (42)

Maya Dresden Codex
Codex Dresdensis: Sächsische Landesbibliothek Dresden (Mscr. Dresd. R 310)/Kommentar, Helmut Deckert, zur Geschichte der Dresdner Maya-Handschrift; Ferdinand Anders, die Dresdner Maya-Handschrift kodikologische Beschreibung. Graz, Austria: Akadem. Druck-u Verlagsanstalt, 1975. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (43)

Positions of the Sun, Moon, and Planets
Petrus Apianus (1492–1552) and Gemma Frisius (1508–1555). Cosmographia, Petri Apiani . . . additis euisdem argumenti libellis ipsius Gemmaa Frisii. . . . Antwerp: Arnoldi Birckmanni, 1564. Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (45)

Transition to the Gregorian Calendar
Johannes Mueller (1436–1476). [“Regiomontanus”] Calendarium [Calendar]. Nuremberg: 1474. Rosenwald Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (46)

Calendar Wheel
Mariano Fernández Echeverría y Veytia (1718–1780). Aztec Calendar Wheel, no. 7 from Historia del origen de las gentes que poblaron la América septentrional [History of the beginnings of the people who settled North America]. Early nineteenth-century facsimile manuscript. Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (47)

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Explorations and Encounters

Columbus’s Account of 1492 Voyage
Christopher Columbus (1451–1506). Epistola Christofori Colom [Letters of Christopher Columbus]. Rome: Stephan Plannck, after April 29, 1493. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (48)

Columbus’s Voyage and the New World
Christopher Columbus (1451–1506). De Insulis nuper in Mari Indico repertis in Carolus Verardus: Historia Baetica. Basel: I.B. [Johann Bergman de Olpe], 1494. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (48.1)

Columbus’s Book of Privileges
Benjamin Stevens, comp. and ed. Christopher Columbus, His Own Book of Privileges, 1502. London: Chiswick Press, 1893. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (50)

Columbus Biography Written by His Son
Fernando Colón (1488–1539). Historie del sig. don Fernando Colombo, nelle quali s’hà particolare, & vera relatione della vita, & de’ fatti dell’ammiraglio don Christoforo Colombo suo padre [History by Don Fernando Columbus . . . Don Christopher Columbus, his father].Milan: Girolamo Bordoni, [1614]. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (51)

Columbus’s Legacy
Christoper Columbus. Por parte del conde de Gelues, de doña Francisca Colón, de don Christoual Colón, y de don Baltasar Colón, se suplica a V.m. que cerca de la executoria que la parte de la marquesa de Guadaleste pide, de la que llama sente[n]cia, dada en su fauor por el consejo Real de las Indias. [Spain: s.n., ca. 1586]. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (52)

Ceremonial Wooden Stool
Duho. Haiti. Taíno, AD 1000–1500. Carved lignum vitae. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (54) Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

Taíno Amulet
Shell amulet. Haiti or Dominican Republic. Taíno, AD 700–1500. Carved shell. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (55A)

Taíno Amulet
Crouching figure amulet. Puerto Rico (?). Taíno, AD 1000–1500. Marble. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (55B)

Taíno Amulets
Anthropomorphic amulet figure (zemi) in a ritual squatting position possibly the wind god and a smaller frog avatar. Haiti. Taíno, AD 700–1500. Carved shell. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (55D) Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

Taíno Amulet
Amulet in the form of a crouching figure with head turned to the side and grasping a stylized figure. Puerto Rico (?). Taíno, AD 1000–1500. Stone. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (55C)

Spatula Used for Purging
Effigy bone purging spatula. Greater Antilles. Taíno, AD 700–1500. Carved manatee rib. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (56) Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

Heart-Shaped Vessel
Heart-shaped vessel. Dominican Republic. Taíno, AD 1000–1500. Ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (57)

Early Description of the New World
Antonio Nebrija. Introductorium in Cosmographiae libros [Introduction to cosmography]. Salamanca: Printer of Nebrija, ca. 1498. Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (53)

Girolamo Benzoni
Girolamo Benzoni (b. 1519). La historia del mondo nuovo di M. Girolamo Benzoni Milanese [The history of the New World of Mr. Girolamo Benzoni of Milan]. [Venice: F. Rampazetto, 1565.] Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (68)

Warrior with Feline Helmet
Hollow warrior with feline helmet. Central Mexican Highlands. Mixtec, AD 1200–1500. Polychromed ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (59) Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

Mexican God Xipe–Totec
Xipe–Totec priest wearing flayed human skin. Central Mexican Highlands. Aztec, AD 1400–1521. Painted volcanic basalt. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division (65) Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

Choker with Nineteen Death Heads
Choker with nineteen death heads. Mexico. Mixtec, AD 1200–1500. Carved shell. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division (66)

Chronicling the New World
Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés (1478–1557). La historia general de las Indias [the general history of the Indies]. Seville: Cromberger, 1535. Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (67)

Map of Tenochtitlán
Hernán Cortés. Praeclara Ferdina[n]di Cortesii de noua maris oceani. . . . [Enlightenment of Ferdinand Cortés concerning new facts about the new sea and the ocean. . . .]. Nuremberg: Peypus, 1524. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (60)

Descendents of Moctezuma
Hernán Cortés. Dowry agreement for Montezuma’s daughter, June 27, 1526. Copied from a Spanish manuscript, [Valladolid], ca. 1750. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (61)

Early History of the Spanish Conquests
Francisco López de Gómara (1511–1564). The pleasant historie of the conquest of the West India, now called New Spayne: atchieued by the worthy prince Hernando Cortes, marques of the valley of Huaxacac, most delectable to reade/translated out of the Spanishe tongue by T.N., anno 1578. London: Henry Bynneman, [1578]. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (62)

A Different View of Conquest
Bernal Díaz del Castillo (1496–1584). Historia verdadera de la conqvista de la Nueva-España [True history of the conquest of New Spain]. Madrid: Imprenta del Reyno, 1632. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (63)

History of Tlaxcala
Diego Muñoz Camargo (ca. 1529–1599). Fragmentos de la Historia de Tlaxcala. 1852 manuscript copy of original ca. 1560–1592. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (64)

Chimú Vessel Flute
Avian whistle vessel. Peru, Chimú, AD 1100–1470. Dayton C. Miller Flute Collection, Music Division, Library of Congress (77)

The First European Chronicle of Peru
Pedro de Cieza de León (1518?–1560). Parte Primera de la Chronica del Peru. [Seville : Impressa en Seuilla en casa de Martín de Montesdoca], 1553. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (70)

Pizarro’s Rejection of a Conquistador’s Petition
Francisco Pizzaro. Response to a petition by conquistador Pedro del Barco. Cusco: April 14, 1539. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (71)

Chart of the Pacific Coast
Chart of Pacific Coast of Central and South America. [Spanish?, mid-sixteenth century]. Geography and Map Division, Library of Congress (72)

First Quechua–Spanish Dictionary and Grammar
Vocabulario en la lengua general del Peru llamada quichua, y en la lengua Española. El mas copioso y elegante que hasta agora se ha impresso [Vocabulary in the general language of Peru called Quechua, and in the Spanish language. . . .]. Lima: 1586. Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (73)

Letter to Pizarro
Dona Inés Muñoz. Power of attorney to Hernando Pizarro, Sebastián Rodríguez, and Juan de Cáceres to petition for restoration of Indians. Lima, May 5, 1543. Harkness Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (74)

Peruvian Ruins
William E. Warne. Ruins of Sacsahuamán (Cusco, Peru), 1950. Copyprint. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (75)

Deeds of the Castilians in the New World
Antonio de Herrera y Tordesillas (d. 1625). Historia general de los hechos de los castellaños en las Islas. . . . [General history of the deeds of the Castilians in the islands. . . .]. Madrid: Emplenta Real, 1601–1615. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (76)

Tales that Inspired Conquistadors
Le vingt et deuxieme livre d’Amadis de Gaule [The twenty-second book of Amadis of Gaul]. Paris: Olivier de Varrenes, 1715. Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (78)

Rights for Indians
Bartolomé de las Casas (1474–1566). Brevíssima Relación de la destrucción de las Indias [Very brief account of the destruction of the Indians]. Seville: Sebastian Trugillo, 1552. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (79)

The Fate of the Indians of the New World
Bartolomé de las Casas (1474–1566). AMS to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Valladolid, Spain, ca. 1528. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (80)

The “Black Legend”
Bartolomé de las Casas. The Spanish colonie, or, Briefe chronicle of the acts and [notable exploits] of the Spaniardes in the West Indies, called the Newe World. . . . London: Thomas Dawson for William Broome, 1583. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (81)

New Laws to Protect Indians
The New Laws of the Indies for the Good Treatment and Preservation of the Indians/ Promulgated by the Emperor Charles the Fifth, 1542–1543. London: Chiswick Press, 1893. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (82)

Cruelty Illustrated
Theodor de Bry. Americae pars quinta nobilis & admiratione plena Hieronymi Bezoni. [Frankfurt: 1595. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (83)

Natural History of Brazil
Theodor de Bry. Americae pars quinta nobilis & admiratione plena Hieronymi Bezoni. [Frankfurt: 1595. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (83) Willem Piso (1611–1678). Gulielmi Pisonis medic Amstelaedamensis De Indiae. . . . [Willem Piso, doctor of Amsterdam and of the Indies. . . .]. Amsterdam: Ludovicum et Danielem Elzevirios, 1658. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (84)

Inspiration for the Conquest of Mexico Paintings
Antonio de Solís (1610–1686). The History of the Conquest of México by the Spaniards. Translated into English by Thomas Townsend, Esq. London: printed for T. Woodward, J. Hooke, and J. Peele, 1724. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (86)

Tovar’s History of Mexico
Juan de Tovar. Historia de la benida de los yndios apoblar a México de las partes remotas de Occidente. . . . [History of the arrival of the indians that populated remote partes of western Mexico. . . .]. Handwritten manuscript transcribed by Elizabeth, Lady Phillips, of Middle Hall, England, ca. 1862. Ink and watercolor on paper. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (98.1)

Landmark Native Legal Victory
Huejotzingo Codex. Mexico: 1531. Harkness Collection, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress (87)

The Oztoticpac Lands Map
Oztoticpac Lands Map. Mexico, ca. 1540. Manuscript on amatl paper. Geography and Map Division, Library of Congress (88)

Techialoyan Land Record
Techialoyan land record. San Juan Tolcayuca, Mexico. Aztec, seventeenth century. Manuscript map on amatl (fig-tree bark paper). Geography and Map Division, Library of Congress (89)

“Entrance of Cortés La Conquista de Mexico”
Conquest of Mexico: “Entrance of Cortés La Conquista de Mexico.” Second half of the seventeenth century. Mexico. Oil on canvas. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (90)

“Arrival of Cortés in Vera Cruz”
Conquest of Mexico: “Arrival of Cortés in Vera Cruz.” Second half of the seventeenth century. Mexico. Oil on canvas. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (91)

“The Meeting of Cortés and Moctezuma”
Conquest of Mexico: “The Meeting of Cortés and Moctezuma.” Second half of the seventeenth century. Mexico. Oil on canvas. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (92)

“Death of Moctezuma”
Conquest of Mexico: “Death of Moctezuma.” Second half of the seventeenth century. Mexico. Oil on canvas. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (93)

“The Sad Night”
Conquest of Mexico: “The Sad Night.” Second half of the seventeenth century. Mexico. Oil on canvas. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (94)

“The Battle of Otumba”
Conquest of Mexico: “The Battle of Otumba.” Second half of the seventeenth century. Mexico. Oil on canvas. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (95)

“The Capture of Tenochtitlan”
Conquest of Mexico: “The Capture of Tenochtitlan.” Second half of the seventeenth century. Mexico. Oil on canvas. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (96)

“The Capture of Cuahtemoc”
Conquest of Mexico: “The Capture of Cuahtemoc.” Second half of the seventeenth century. Mexico. Oil on canvas. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (97)

Aztec Tribute Lists
“Matrícula de Tributos” (Roll of tributes) in Francisco Antonio de Lorenzana. Historia de Nueva España [History of New Spain]. Mexico: Joseph Antonio de Hogal, 1770. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (69.1)

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Aftermath of the Encounter

Christ Figure Created in the Americas
Fragment of Christ figure. San Rafael Cave, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Taíno, sixteenth century. Carved lignum vitae. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (58) Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

First Dictionary Printed in the Americas
Alonso de Molina (d. 1585). Vocabulario en lengua castellana y Mexicana [Vocabulary in the Castilian and Mexican languages]. Mexico: Antonio de Spinosa, 1571. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (99)

Explaining Indian Life
Diego Valadés (b. 1533). Rhetorica Christiana. . . [Christian Rhetoric . . . ]. Perugia: Petrumiacobum Petrutium, 1579. Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division (101)

Vocabulary of the Galibi Language
Pierre Pelleprat (1606–1667). Introduction a la langue des Galibis, sauuages de la terre ferme de l’Amerique [Introduction to the language of the Galibis. . . ]. Paris: Cramoisy, 1655. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (100)

Account of Maya History and Culture
Diego de Landa (1524–1579). Relation des choses de Yucatán . . . par l’abbé Brasseur de Bourbourg [Account of things of Yucatan. . . for the Abbé Brasseur de Bourvbourg]. Paris: Auguste Durand, 1864. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (102)

Handbook for Priests
Priest’s handbook, Guatemalan Highlands. Bound manuscript, ca. 1544–1570. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (103 A–B)

Bilingual Catechism in Spanish and Timucuan
Francisco de Pareja (d. 1628). Catecismo en Lengua Timuquana y Castellana. . . [Catechism in the Timucuan and Spanish languages]. Mexico: Juan Ruiz, 1627. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (104)

King Phillip’s Concerns
King Phillip II (1577–1598). Autograph letter to Archbishop Pedro de Contreras, December 2, 1598. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (105)

The De Soto Expedition
“Gentlemen of Elvas.” Virginia richly valued by the description of the maine land of Florida. Translated from Portugese by Richard Hakluyt. London: Felix Kyngston for Matthew Lownes, 1609. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (106)

Spaniards Enslaved by Indians
Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca (ca. 1490–ca. 1557). Relación y comentarios del Governador Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca [Account and commentaries of Govenor Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca]. [Valladolid: Francisco Fernández de Cordova, 1555], Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (107)

The First Description of Florida Indians
René Goulaine de Laudonnière (c. 1529–1574). L’histoire notable de la Floride [The Noteworthy History of Florida]. Paris: Guillaume Auuray, 1586. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (108)

Early Illustrations of Florida
Theodor de Bry. Brevis narratio eorum quae in Florida Americae [Brief narrative concerning Florida of America]. Frankfurt: Ioan[n]is Wecheli, sumtibus vero Theodori de Bry, venales reperiu[n]tur in officina S. Feirabe[n]dii, 1591. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (109)

The Spanish Concept of Florida
Cornelis van Wytfliet. Descriptionis Ptolemaicae Augmentum . . . [Decsriptions of Ptolemy Increased . . . ]. Louvain: Tijpis Gerardi: Riuij. 1598 Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (110)

Ill-fated Roanoke Colony
Theodor de Bry (1528–1598). Admiranda narratio, fida tamen: de commodis et incolarum ritibus Virginiae. Frankfurt: Ioannis Wecheli, sumptibus vero Theodori de Bry, venales reperiuntur in officina Sigismundi Feierabendii, 1590. Latin translation by Charles de L’Écluse of Thomas Hariot’s Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (113)

Route of Drake’s Voyage
Baptista Boazio. Map and views created to illustrate Bigges’ and Croftes’ Summarie and true discourse of Sir Frances Drake’s West Indian voyage . . . With geographicall mappes exactly describing each of the townes . . . made by Baptista Boazio. London: Richard Field, 1589. Hand colored. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (114)

Items from a Spanish Treasure Ship
Silver fork, spoon, plate, and gold bullion from the Nuestra Señora de Atocha wreck, 1622. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (118 A–D)

Map Depicting Treasure Fleets
Emanuel Bowen (1673–1767). A New and Accurate Chart of the West Indies with the Adjacent Coasts of North and South America. Drawn from the best Authorities, assisted by the most approved modern maps & Charts. . . . By Eman. Bowen, Geographer to His Majesty. [London: ca. 1720]. Geography and Map Division, Library of Congress (119)

Sailing Directions
“Descripción de las costas yslas y vajos desde Sn. Martin una de las Yslas de Barlovento hasta la Havana” [Description of the coasts, islands, and lowlands from St. Martin . . . to Havana], 1777. Manuscript atlas. Pen-and-ink, watercolor, and pencil. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (120)

Buccaneers of America
A.O. [Alexandre Olivier] Exquemelin. De Americaensche Zee-Roovers [The Buccaneers of America]. Amsterdam: Jan ten Hoorn, Boeckverkoper, 1678. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (121)

British Attempt to Suppress Pirates
James II, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1633–1701). By the King, A Proclamation for the More Effectual Reducing and Supressing of Pirates and Privateers in America. London: Charles Bill, Henry Hills, and Thomas Newcomb, [1688]. Double-leaf broadside. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (123)

Florida Pirate
The Florida Pirate, or, An account of a cruise on the schooner Esparanza. New York: [William Borradaile], 1823. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (125)

Expedition Against St. Augustine
James Killpatrick. An Impartial Account of the Late Expedition against St. Augustine under General Oglethorpe. . . . London: J. Huggonson, 1742. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (126)

Spanish Attack on Georgia Colony
The Report of the Committee . . . Appointed to Enquire into the Causes of the Dissappointment [sic] of Success, in the Late Expedition Against St. Augustine, Under the Command of General Oglethorpe. Charlestown [Charleston], South Carolina: Peter Timothy, 1742. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (127)

English Military Report about St. Augustine
English military report on St. Augustine, with plans and views of St. Augustine Castle, the Spanish watchtower on Anastasia Island, and Matance’s fort, 1743. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (128)

Atlas of Florida and the Caribbean
Thomas Jefferys (d. 1771). The West India Atlas: or a Compendious Description of the West Indies: Illustrated with Forty Correct Charts and Maps Taken from Actual Surveys. Together with an Historical Account of the Several Countries and Islands which Compose that Part of the World. London: Robert Sayer and John Bennett, 1780. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (129)

La Florida Map
Abraham Ortelius. “La Florida/Guastecan from Peruuiae avriferæ regionis typus. . . .” Antwerp: Christophorum Plantinum, 1584. Geography and Map Division, Library of Congress (110.1)

French Possessions
Thomas Jefferys (d. 1771). The Natural and Civil History of the French Dominions in North and South America. London: Thomas Jefferys, 1760. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (130)

The Spanish Seizure of Pensacola, Florida
Bernardo de Galvez. “Diario de las operaciones de la expedicion contra la Plaza de Panzacola.” [Havana: 1781]. Dated and signed Bernardo de Gálvez, Panzacola 12 de mayo de 1781. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (132)

Horatio Nelson
Horatio, Viscount Nelson (1758–1805). “An account of the proceedings of Captain Nelson of His Majesty’s ship Boreas, relative to the illegal trade carried on between the Americans and the British West India Islands,” ca. 1787. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (133)

Jefferson on Independence for South America
Thomas Jefferson. Letter to the Marquis de Lafayette, Monticello, Virginia, November 30, 1813. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (134)

George Washington Diary
George Washington, 1732–1799. Diary written in the leaves of the 1762 Virginia Almanack, 1762. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (135.1)

Maya Portrayal of the Cosmos
Carved bowl with swirl patterns. Guatemalan Lowlands. AD 200–500. Burnished black-brown ceramic. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (136) Photo ©Justin Kerr, Kerr Associates

T–O Map of the World
Isidore, Bishop of Seville (d. 636). Etymologiae [Etymologies]. Augsburg: Guntherus Ziner, 1472. Vollbehr Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (138)

Picturing the Universe
Konrad von Megenberg (1309–1374), Buch der Natur [Book of Nature]. Augsberg: Johannes Bämler, 1481. Rosenwald Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (139)

1482 Ulm Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy (ca. AD 100–AD 170). Geographia. Ulm: Lienhart Holle, 1482. Geography and Map Division, Library of Congress (140)

Cosmographiae Introductio
Martin Waldseemüller and Mathias Ringmann. Cosmographiae introductio. St. Dié: 1507. Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (141)

1507 World Map
Claudius Ptolemy (ca. AD 100–ca. 170). “Universalior cogntit orbis tabula” [Map of the world more universally known] in In hoc opere haec continentur Geographiae Cl. Ptolemaei a plurimis uiris utriusq[ue] linguae doctiss [Continuations of the Geographiae of Cl. Ptolemaeus by many learned men in their own languages]. Rome: Bernardinum Venetum de Vitalibus, 1507. Geography and Map Division, Library of Congress (145)

1512 Stobnicy Map
Jan ze Stobnicy (ca. 1470–1530). Introductio in Ptolomei comosgraphia[m] cu[m] longitudinibus et latitudinibus et cuvitatum celebrioriu [Introduction to the cosmography of Ptolemy. . . .]. Krakow: Florian Ungleri, 1512. Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (146)

Enhanced View of the World
Petrus Apianus [Peter Bienewitz]. In Julius C. Solinus’s Ioannis Camertis Minoritani, artium, et sacrae theologiae doctoris, in C. Iulii Solini Polyistōra enarrationes. . . . [Weakness of Johannes Camers Minoritanus, of his expertise, and of his dissertation, in regard to the Polyistora of C. Julius Solinus]. Vienna: Johann Singrenium, 1520. Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (147)

The Sixteenth-Century World
Novus orbis regionum ac insularum. . . .[News of the regions and islands of the world. . . .]. Johann Huttich, comp., with preface by Simon Grynäus. Basel: Johannes Heruagium, 1532. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (148)

On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres
Nicolaus Copernicus. De Revolutionibus orbium caelestium [On the revolutions of the heavenly spheres]. Nuremberg: Johannes Petrus, 1543. Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (149)

1507 World Map
Martin Waldseemüller. Universalis cosmographia secunda Ptholemei traditionem et Americi Vespucci aliorum que lustrations. [Strasbourg?]: 1507. Geography and Map Division, Library of Congress (142)

Schöner Sammelband
Compiled by Johann Schöner. Schöner Sammelband. Nuremberg: ca.1516. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (143)

Carta Marina
Martin Waldseemüller.Carta Marina Navigatoria Portugallen Navigationes Atque Tocius Cogniti Orsis Terre Marisque. [Strasbourg?]: 1516. Facsimile. Ownership of the original map is shared by the Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress and the Kislak Foundation. (144)

Flora and Fauna of North and South America
Juan Eusebio Nieremberg (1595–1658). Historiae naturae, maxime peregrinae [Natural history, most especially the foreign]. Antwerp: Plantiniana Balthasaris Moreti, 1635. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (157)

New World Creatures
Arnoldus Montanus, 1625?–1683. De nieuwe en onbekende weereld. . . .[The new and strange world. . . .]. Amsterdam: Jacob Maers, 1671. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (159)

Eighteenth-Century Naturalist
Mark Catesby (1683–1749). The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands. London: W. Innys and R. Manby, 1731–1743. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (160)

Gould’s Birds of South America
John Gould (1804–1881). A Monograph of the Trogonidae, or Family of Trogons. London: Taylor and Francis, 1875. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (160.1)

Bartram’s Botanical Expedition through Southeast North America
Bartram, William (1739–1823). Travels Through North and South Carolina, Georgia, East and West Florida. . . . Philadelphia: James and Johnson, 1791. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (161)

Von Humboldt’s Scientific Excursion to South and Central America
Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859). Vues des Cordillres et Monuments des peuples indigènes de l’Amérique. [Views of the Cordilleras and monuments of indigenous peoples of America]. Paris: R. Schoell, 1810. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (162)

Caribbean Plant Specimens
Nikolaus Joseph Jacquin (1727–1817). Selectarum Stirpium Americanarum historia. . . . [History of selected American plants. . . . ] Vienna: 1780. Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (163)

The Insects of Suriname
Maria Sibylla Merian (1647–1717). Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensiam. . . . [Transformation of the insects of Suriname. . . .]. Amsterdam: G. Valck, 1705. Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (164)

Medicinal Virtues of Tobacco
Nicholas Monarde (ca. 1512–1588). Delle cose che vengono portate dall’Indie Occidentali [Of the things that have been brought from the West Indies]. Venice: Giordano Ziletti, 1575. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (165)

Tlatilco Vessel in Form of a Rabbit
Effigy vessel in the form of a rabbit. Central Mexico. Tlatilco, 1150–550 BC. Ceramic with cream-colored slip highlighted with black resist design. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (166)

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