The evolution of the legacy of Lope de Aguirre
Description
This thesis is a historiographical study of the legacy of the sixteenth-century Basque rebel, Lope de Aguirre. The thesis compares and contrasts the various historical and literary interpretations of Aguirre, spanning from his death in 1561 up until the present day. Chapter 1 is a biographical narrative of Aguirre’s life and recounts the 1560-61 expedition of Pedro de Orsúa in search of the Kingdoms of El Dorado and Omagua and Aguirre's subsequent Marañones Rebellion. Chapter 2 analyzes the written accounts of the Ex-Marañones who accompanied Aguirre during his rebellion and how in service of their own interests, they produced a distorted representation of Aguirre. Chapter 3 focuses on the writings of the cronistas, colonial-era chroniclers who produced retellings of Aguirre’s story from the mid-sixteenth to the midseventeenth centuries. Chapter 4 analyzes the treatment of Aguirre’s legacy during the nineteenth century, when he was revived as a revolutionary icon across Latin America and Europe. Chapter 5 looks at the treatment of Aguirre’s legacy during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries when he was revived as a historical figure, though still used to make political points. Ultimately, this thesis will show that in the three and a half centuries since his death, the legacy of Lope de Aguirre has been repeatedly reinterpreted and repurposed by subsequent generations in varying lights. These interpretations were heavily influenced by each author’s own underlying intentions and the prevailing values of their own eras. This thesis adds to modern attempts at understanding the historiographical treatment of Aguirre as a historical and literary figure and prompts further inquiries into the problem of historical biography.