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"A critical anthology of indigenous-authored texts, including Nahua, Quechua, and Spanish which native peoples and Spaniards convey their perspectives on Spanish colonial order. The first volume with native testimonies of Spanish expansion and examines geographically and culturally realities of indigenous elites in the colonial period"--Provided by publisher

During the reign of the Safavid Shāh ʿAbbās I (reg. 996-1038/1588-1629), Isfahan was the center of power, diplomacy and trade of Iran. Every year scores of diplomatic envoys and traders would make their way to the capital in pursuit of some political or commercial gain. The present collection of Persian letters and documents, whose originals are kept in the Biblioteca Nazionale Vittorio Emanuele III in Naples, gives a fine view of the major issues in international relations that ʿAbbās I had to deal with during most of his reign. The collection consists for the greater part of translations of documents from various European courts and religious bodies and authorities, prepared by the interpreters of the Carmelite mission in Isfahan. Among the subjects: the silk trade, Anglo-Spanish relations, the threat of the Ottomans, the importance of Russia in an alternative trade route to Europe, foreign access to Persiaʾs ports, and the interests of the Catholic church

?One Word ? Yak Kaleme? is one of the first treatises in the Middle East to demonstrate that Islam is compatible with modern western forms of government, and specifically that sharia principles can be incorporated in a codified law comparable to that found in Europe. Unlike many fellow Oriental travellers, the author observed that European dominance is not derived from a few technological advances, but primarily from the organization of society. In ?One Word?, the author argues that the principles underlying constitutional government can be found in Islamic sources. ?One Word? is a significant text during the Iranian Constitutional Revolution of 1906, but its message is relevant today