Representation of the Indian in Calderón’s «La Aurora en Copacabana»

Abstract

The article analyzes the onomastics of the Indian characters, the portrayal of the Inca Empire of Huáscar and Atahualpa, and the Christianization of Guacolda and Yupangui in Calderón’s La Aurora en Copacabana. Rational and proactive, these two characters realize the illegitimacy of the Inca idolatry and embrace the true religion, long before the formal start of Perú’s christianization. Thus, it is argued that this specific representation of the Indian may have been influenced by the close circles indianos of Miguel de Aguirre, who allegedly patronized this comedy.