Description
General History of Chile
Book Summary
This monumental work, written by the Chilean historian Diego Barros Arana, represents the most comprehensive effort to narrate the evolution of Chile from its pre-Columbian origins until 1833. This fourth volume focuses specifically on the 17th century in Chile, a crucial period of colonial consolidation. The reader will find a rigorous analysis based on documents from private and public archives that the author collected over decades, offering a deep and documented vision of the nation's history.
What is it about?
Diego Barros Arana undertook the titanic task of constructing a general history of Chile in the face of the deficiencies of the historiography available at the time. He considered that Chilean history was yet to be written in almost all of its periods and topics, not due to a lack of materials, but because of the absence of systematic work. This fourth volume analyzes the Chilean 17th century in detail, addressing the development of colonial society, relations with indigenous peoples, and the institutional organization of the territory. The work is supported by exhaustive documentary research that the author conducted for years before beginning to write in 1881.
Main themes
- Chilean society during the 17th century
- Colonial organization and its institutions
- Relations between colonizers and indigenous peoples
- The construction of national identity during the colonial period
- Historiographical methodology based on primary documentary sources
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at history students and professionals, researchers of the American colonial period, social science teachers, and readers interested in the historical formation of Chile. It is also of great value to those who seek to understand the documentary foundations of Chilean historiography and appreciate classic reference works.
What this book offers
- Access to rigorous historical research based on original documents from public and private archives
- Detailed understanding of the Chilean 17th century, a fundamental period for understanding the country's formation
- An indispensable reference work for the study of Chile's colonial history
- The work of one of the most important historians of the 19th-century Latin America
Technical specifications
- Author: Barros Arana, Diego
- Publisher: Linkgua Ediciones
- Language: Spanish
- Topic: CLASSIC TEXTS
- Collection: HISTORY
- Binding: Paperback
- Publication date: May 2025
- Number of pages: 516
- Weight: 170 g
Editorial review
This paperback edition of the fourth volume of the General History of Chile brings a classic and indispensable work of Chilean historiography to today's public. Barros Arana's research, based on primary documentary sources, remains a benchmark for understanding the Chilean 17th century. It is especially relevant for readers seeking a rigorous and well-documented approach to the country's historical origins, as well as for those who value the work of the great 19th-century historians.