Libro de thesorero Diego de Salzedo para deste ano de 1571 (Ledger of the Treasurer, Diego de Salzedo, for this year of 1571)
Diego de Salzedo
1571 CE, Cuzco, Viceroyalty of Peru (present-day Peru)
Paper manuscript bound in limp vellum with bands of leather
In this ledger from 1571 CE, Diego de Salzedo meticulously recorded the taxes levied by the Spanish Crown against Peru, one of its colonies. Salzedo, a royal Spanish treasurer living in Cuzco, carefully outlined the quantity of gold, silver, silk, wool, and other precious goods that the Spanish Empire took to fund their interests in the Americas and their homeland. The sums of these “tributes” or “royal fifths” appear in Roman numerals throughout the pages of this document. With each organized and legible entry, Salzedo chronicles the systematic exploitation and financial subjugation of the indigenous peoples of Peru.
Rachel Vorsanger