El Lazarillo de Ciegos Caminantes

The "Lazarillo." offers a sound and credible vision of the colonial life between 1771 and 1773, as well as practical details of the trip from Montevideo up to Lima, through Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Salta, Potosi, Chuquisaca and Cuzco. According to Jose Luis Busaniche, the argentine born historian, "through its pages flows a new feeling about nature, far apart from the previous letters and documents of the colonial era" Its first edition circulated in a clandestine way in America. The text is the transcription of don Alonso Carrio de la Vandera's writings during his royal commission of fixing the postal system between Montevideo and Lima. The author is mentioned as "Don Calixto Bustamante Carlos Inga, also known as 'Concolorcorvo', who went along the commissioner in said journey and wrote the extracts" Calixto Bustamante Carlos Inca existence is proven, as well as documented the commission and trip of "visitador" Carrio, however "Concolorcorvo" shows a curiously remarkable erudition for a man of his extraction. According to Bartolome Mitre the book "was written by an erudite person, knowledgeable of the Spanish America customs." Don Alonso Carrio de la Vandera spent most of his life in Mexico and Peru, and was in Buenos Aires in 1749. His letters are written in a far from vulgar prose and full of classics quotations. It would not be strange that he had authored "El Lazarillo" himself. There is a letter from Lima addressed to the postal service administrator in Buenos Aires, don Domingo de Basavilbaso, asking him to receive and protect a don Calixto Bustamante Carlos Inca, who was starting his journey to the Rio de la Plata. Abandoned and in need due to the death of "his master Senor don Antonio Guill y Gonzaga, President of the Realm of Chile," he wished to change his fortune "because the temperament of Lima had proven contrary to his health." There is no proof of Bustamante's appearance in Buenos Aires, but had it been so he would have stayed at the same time as Carrio prepared his trip to Peru. It might have happened that following Basavilbaso's request the visitador found in Concolorcorvo an able secretary and the best travel company. During the trip the visitador writes confidential reports, complaining about those who surreptitiously paralyze his work. Besides him the witty Bustamante suggests invectives y scathing jokes. The visitador might have been aware of the perils involved in signing such writings. And Bustamante, who admired the visitador, might have taken care, with or without permission, to see that the events did not go unpublished. Thus could have been the "El Lazarillo" conceived: a mixture of travel book, official reports and strong sarcasm. A most simple and possible explanation that in no way diminishes a bit its amusing quality."