NATURAL AND MORAL HISTORY OF THE INDIES

Abstract

José de Acosta was born in Medina del Campo (Spain) on October 1, 1540. He arrived in the West Indies in 1571. He played an important role in the evangelization and education of the indigenous peoples as a member of the Society of Jesus. He worked in various regions, including Peru, Mexico and Colombia, and witnessed firsthand the complex interaction between indigenous and European cultures. Historia natural y moral de las Indias [The Historia natural y moral de las Indias] is a work by José de Acosta published in 1590 in Seville. It is organized in seven books, the first four are dedicated to natural history and the last three to moral history, that is, to the customs and deeds of the natives. Acosta speaks of natural history, cosmography, biology, plants, and geography. Moral history is developed as religious, political and historical matters. In the monographic, texts related to the fruits of the earth were selected: about corn, bread of the Indies; about yucca, cazavi, potatoes, rice, pineapple, plums, chili peppers, and, of course, cocoa and coca.