Blas Valera

Abstract

Biographical study on the mestizo Jesuit Blas Valera. Born in Chachapoyas around 1551, was the son of the conquistador Luis Valera and the indigenous woman Francisca Pérez. The author details his entry into the Society of Jesus in 1568 and his missionary work in Cuzco and Potosí, highlights his language proficiency of Quechua and Aymara. The fate of his work Historia Occidentalis, written in Latin, is recounted; it was almost entirely lost during the sack of Cadiz by the English in 1596, with only fragments saved which were used by Inca Garcilaso de la Vega in his Royal Commentaries. Polo also discusses the existence of a Vocabulario histórico cited by the chronicler Anello Oliva and lists the specific passages in Garcilaso that originate from Valera's lost work.