This book is absolutely fascinating. It is the 16th-century autobiographical account of one of the earliest settlers on the mainland of the New World. The author is one of the most interesting men ever to have lived. As a young man he had been a page to Prince Juan, the royal heir of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, working alongside two sons of Christopher Columbus. He was an eyewitness when the royal monarchs overthrew 700 years of Moorish occupation and took control of Grenada. He was an eyewitness when Columbus set sail in 1492 and present when he returned. He sailed to the New World as a notary with the Splendid Armada and soon became an overseer of gold smelting.On his first return to Spain,Carlos V appointed him as the official chronicler of New Spain. All accounts of Spanish exploration went through Oviedo from that point forward. He was the first naturalist to describe the flora and fauna of the New World. During 40 years of residence in the New World, Oviedo wrote a 50-book volume called the Natural and General History of the Indies. Much of this material was written by other authors for Oviedo to incorporate. Sadly, nearly 500 years later, most of this work yet to be translated into English, and parts have been lost.In this book, G.F. Dille has focused on the years 1514-1527, which are primarily an autobiographical memoir of the settlement of Darién. This material is taken from Part II, Book XXIX, Chapters VII through XXIV of the Natural and General History of the Indies. Dille states in the Foreword,"These chapters form a complete and fascinating narrative with a beginning, a development, and a conclusion. They recount the circumstances of Oviedo's appointment as a royal officer, the historian's first voyage to the Indies in the "Splendid Armada," his impressions of the wonders of the New World, the cruel treatment of the Native Americans, and the deadly internecine political struggles among the Spaniards. In the memoirs of these years we have perhaps the fullest account of the first viable Spanish settlement in continental America by a cast of characters (Oviedo included) who were to make their mark for good or ill from Mexico to the tip of South America. Moreover, in this section Oviedo records the decisive moment in 1514 when he determined to link the rest of his life to the New Wold and to make himself its interpreter to the Old through the pages of his General and Natural History."G.F. Dille provides in this book a wonderful translation into English that is smooth flowing and very easy and enjoyable to read. The book is intended for general audiences. In addition, Dille provides an informative and interesting introduction and annotations as well as short biographies of key historical personalities mentioned in the pages.This book received a 2007 Award from the Program for Cultural Cooperation between Spain's Ministry of Culture and United States Universities.