German Conquistadors in Latin America in the First Half of the Sixteenth Century

The conquest and colonization of Latin America has been framed as a strictly Spanish affair. While the conquest was subject to Spanish law and supervised by Spanish officials, a significant number of actors came from a number of other European countries, like Germany. These individuals were mercenaries, merchants, traders, settlers, adventurers, miners, or felons. My project focuses on three of these men and their published accounts: Nikolaus Federmann (1506–1542), Ulrich Schmidel (1510–1580/81), and Hans Staden (1525–1576). They all served almost simultaneously as mercenaries in different parts of Latin America and as part of different expeditions. My study explores key themes, like the first contact with Indigenous people, the use of violence to define power relations, communication, and concepts of bodies and race.