This landmark book explores how Spain tried to come to terms with independent Indians on the frontiers of its American empire in the late 1700s.

"[An] important new book. . . . It displays . . . a mastery of the literature and impressive erudition; a capacity for the patient teasing out of the truth from sources that are often incomplete and partisan; and a lucid narrative style that carries the reader along. . . . A formidable achievement."€"J. H. Elliott, New York Review of Books
 
"A stunning book that will be read for generations and lauded for its awesome research, judicious analysis, and graceful prose."€"James Schofield Saeger, Lehigh University