| Páginas | ||
| Dedicatoria | 5 | |
| Nota biográfica acerca del autor | 7 | |
| Prefacio | 13 | |
| I. | —La Nación exploradora | 15 |
| II. | —Geografía embrollada | 22 |
| III. | —Colón el descubridor | 30 |
| IV. | —Haciendo geografía | 36 |
| V. | —Capítulo de la conquista | 47 |
| VI. | —La vuelta alrededor del Mundo | 59 |
| VII. | —España en los Estados Unidos | 65 |
| VIII. | —Dos continentes dominados | 75 |
| II. Los primeros caminantes en América | ||
| I. | —El primer caminante en América | 85 |
| II. | —El más intrépido caminante | 98 |
| III. | —La Guerra de la Roca | 104 |
| IV. | —El asalto a la empinada ciudad | 112 |
| V. | —El Soldado poeta | 119 |
| VI. | —Los Misioneros exploradores | 123 |
| VII. | —Los fundadores de iglesias en Nuevo Méjico | 130 |
| VIII. | —El salto de Alvarado | 139 |
| IX. | —El Vellocino de Oro | 148 |
| III. Exploradores ejemplares | ||
| I. | —El porquerizo Trujillo | 165 |
| II. | —El hombre impertérrito | 175 |
| III. | —Ganando terreno | 183 |
| IV. | —El Perú tal como era | 193 |
| V. | —La Conquista del Perú | 199 |
| VI. | —El rescate de oro | 208 |
| VII. | —Traición y muerte de Atahualpa | 215 |
| VIII. | —De como se fundó una nación—Sitio de Cuzco | 223 |
| IX. | —Obra de traidores | 230 |
About This Book
The work mounts a spirited defense of sixteenth-century Spanish exploration and colonization in the Americas, melding narrative accounts of voyages and settlements with moral, legal, and practical analysis of colonial methods. Based on archival research and on-site investigation, it reevaluates common criticisms of the colonial enterprise, examines logistical and administrative challenges faced by explorers, and presents biographical and documentary material to support its judgments. The text combines historical narrative, argument, and field scholarship to prompt a reassessment of those early imperial actions.