Description:
An English translation of a Dutch travel account, published in Amsterdam in 1646, that describes the Dutch attempt to establish a foothold in the abandoned Spanish colonial city of Valdivia, Chile, in order to find gold and establish alliances with the indigenous Mapuche people.
Brief description: Mark Meuwese is Professor of History at the University of Winnipeg. He is the author of Brothers in Arms, Partners in Trade: Dutch-Indigenous Alliances in the Atlantic World, 1595-1674 and coeditor of Atlantic Biographies: Individuals and Peoples in the Atlantic World.
Review Quotes:
"Hendrick Brouwer's expedition to Chile in 1643 nearly became a major turning point in Latin American history. If the Dutch West India Company's attempted alliance with the Mapuche had materialized, Spanish control over the Americas would have come under real threat. Yet an ill-fated voyage, Brouwer's untimely death, and a series of cultural misunderstandings meant that the ambitious campaign ended in failure. This translation, expertly introduced by Mark Meuwese, brings this momentous yet forgotten campaign back into the limelight."
--Michiel van Groesen, author of Amsterdam's Atlantic: Print Culture and the Making of Dutch Brazil