Of the vast documentation from the 16th and 17th centuries that dealt with Peru's pre-Hispanic and colonial past, three exceptional manuscripts exist. These were produced by two authors from radically different cultures, who had developed independently until their meeting. Both chroniclers left behind not only written works but also illustrated ones.

Two manuscripts belong to the Mercedarian priest Fray Martín de Murua, whose life we ​​are only just beginning to learn about thanks to the recent research of Francisco Borja de Aguinagalde, a renowned Basque historian, who tells us that Murua must have been born in the Basque town of Escoriatza in 1566 and died in this same town, shortly after returning from Peru, in 1615.

The Murúa manuscripts were forgotten for centuries. It's only in recent decades that, thanks to the tireless work of Juan Ossio and Thomas Cummins, curators and authors of the work, their value has been elevated and research has begun. Their in-depth knowledge of Andean and European manuscripts led them to analyze and connect the manuscripts of Guaman Poma and Murúa.

Ossio and Cummins assembled a talented team of researchers and spearheaded studies at the Getty Research Center, both on the physical properties of the two manuscripts and on the iconography of the watercolors. The details of these studies, combined with the tireless research undertaken by Cummins and Ossio, have resulted in a vast and revealing body of information about the manuscripts. This extensive research was contextualized within the course of their own academic careers.

Andean studies have been evident and fundamental in the 21st century, with the works of Guaman Poma and Martín de Murúa, as they have become the fundamental sources for understanding Inca history.
This book was produced with the support of EY-Peru, and the color digital version can be downloaded free of charge from the following link:

Additional information:
Author: Juan Ossio, Thomas Cummins
Year of publication: 2019
Language: Spanish
Sponsor: HEY
Photography/Illustration: Martín de Murua, Various
Pages: 464
Size: 20 × 29 cm
Legal deposit: 2019-15125
ISBN: 978-612-47325-4-6
Copyright: HEY