author
Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa
A restless 16th-century navigator and writer, he moved through the worlds of exploration, science, and imperial politics. He is best remembered for voyages in the Pacific and Strait of Magellan, and for leaving behind one of the important early Spanish accounts of the Inca past.
1 Audiobook
History of the Incas
by Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa
About the author
Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa was a Spanish adventurer, historian, mathematician, and astronomer who lived in the 16th century. Sources agree on his broad career, though even basic details such as his exact birthplace are uncertain. He served the Spanish Crown, explored the Pacific, and was appointed governor of the Strait of Magellan in 1580.
He is closely linked with South American history through his History of the Incas, a major colonial-era account of Inca traditions and rule. Alongside his writing, he was also an active seaman and organizer of expeditions, which gives his life story an unusual mix of scholarship and hard travel.
His later years were as dramatic as his career. After the Magellan colonization effort struggled, he was captured on his way back to Spain and spent time dealing with imprisonment and political setbacks before dying in 1592. Today he stands out as one of those Renaissance-era figures whose life crossed literature, navigation, science, and empire.