Menéndez Pelayo and the Pre-Hispanic issue in Spanish-American literature

Abstract

This article presents the figure of Menéndez Pelayo as a reference of the Spanish-American cultural sphere. The text contains four sections: We learn of their hostilities: the case of the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega; The contempt of the indigenous world, Examples of some American readings and Horacio against Nezahualcóyotl. However, Pelayo’s prejudices led him to devalue the figure of the poet Inca Garcilaso de la Vega Al Inca Garcilaso. He considered it exceptional, qualifying its value to move it towards the strange and even the extravagant. He also tried to exclude the American national tradition and the survival of the indigenous tradition in literature. On the other hand, it considerably increased the level of knowledge about Spanish-American literature although he tried to continue making it only an extension of Spanish literature.