La utopía de un imperio católico universal. Análisis iconográfico e iconológico del frontispicio de una crónica americana del siglo XVI: "Elegías de hombres ilustres de Indias" de Juan de Castellanos

Abstract

Our aim in this paper is to highlight the iconographic and iconological elements of the emblem illustrating the frontispiece of Elegies of Illustrious Men of the Indies, a chronicle by Juan de Castellanos. Its composition reflects the selfsame utopian spirit of those who identified themselves with the Spanish crown and who dreamed of a universal Catholic empire. The desire in late 16th-century Europe to improve the world encompassed America, an America that was invented so that utopian European dreams and ideals could be projected on to it.