The Retoric of Atonement

Abstract

In the context of the existing frictions between Creoles and fullblooded Spaniards in the 17th century, what stands out is the work of Buenaventura de Salinas y Córdoba, a Franciscan monk from Lima, Peru. His memorials constitute an example of how the learned indigenous population modeled strategies characteristic of the hegemonic baroque discourse to shape their claims for representation of the Creole group in the colonial order. In this work we will use two of his writings (1630 and c. 1646) to focus on the receivers strategies of manipulation and persuasion put in to play in the memorial text type. These strategies try to attenuate the distance that characterizes the enunciative situation to make evident to the king the wrongs they suffer and obtain recognition for themselves