European pioneers on the Pacific Coast of South America
© WTA Publishing
Books by David J. Woods
Riches and ruin, victories and defeats, genius and
foolishness
Millions of European tourists now travel to the Pacific coast countries of South America. They see names they recognize, and food, architecture and lifestyles that seem familiar. Two books by David Woods - each richly illustrated with engravings, photographs and maps – reveal the little-known common heritage.The European presence in the nineteenth century was preceded by the Spanish colonial period, lasting nearly 300 years - at once, both extraordinary and shameful. Many of the newcomers after independence were intrepid individuals who pursued dreams and fulfilled their duties in some of the harshest conditions on earth. Above all, they shared the long and hazardous voyage from the great ports of Europe. Many did not make it. The ships that line the bottom of the sea around Cape Horn or the bed of the Strait of Magellan serve as testimony. Poverty was rife alongside great wealth; risks were extreme – both physical and financial. Many paid a heavy personal price, even the ultimate price.Meteor - How an adventure in New York changed the
extraordinary life of Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna
Now, David Woods has written a book on one of Chile’s most celebrated and admired personalities of the 19th century. Meteor (published by Ricaaventura Editores) is a biography of Benjamin Vicuna Mackenna. In particular, the book describes in detail, for the first time, his adventures in New York, in 1865-66, as confidential agent of the Chilean government, seeking the support of Washington in Chile’s war with Spain. Discretely, he was also hunting for ships and ammunition with which to sink the Spanish fleet, then blockading the port of Valparaiso. He provoked a diplomatic scandal and found himself in court. Vicuña Mackenna went on to translate his youthful revolutionary activism into transformative, liberal policies and achievements that changed Chile - as a politician, governor of Santiago and, very nearly, president of the republic.
Europeans in Chile and Peru
European pioneers on the Pacific Coast of South America
© WTA Publishing
Books by David Woods
Riches and ruin, victory and defeat, genius and stupidity
Millions of European tourists now travel to the Pacific coast countries of South America. They see names they recognize, and food, architecture and lifestyles that seem familiar. Two books by David Woods - each richly illustrated with engravings, photographs and maps – reveal the little-known common heritage.The European presence in the nineteenth century was preceded by the Spanish colonial period, lasting nearly 300 years - at once, both extraordinary and shameful. Many of the newcomers after independence were intrepid individuals who pursued dreams and fulfilled their duties in some of the harshest conditions on earth. Above all, they shared the long and hazardous voyage from the great ports of Europe. Many did not make it. The ships that line the bottom of the sea around Cape Horn or the bed of the Strait of Magellan serve as testimony. Poverty was rife alongside great wealth; risks were extreme – both physical and financial. Many paid a heavy personal price, even the ultimate price.Meteor - How an adventure in New York changed the
extraordinary life of Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna
Now, David Woods has written a book on one of Chile’s most celebrated and admired personalities of the 19th century. Meteor (published by Ricaaventura Editores) is a biography of Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna. In particular, the book describes in detail, for the first time, his adventures in New York, in 1865-66, as confidential agent of the Chilean government, seeking the support of Washington in Chile’s war with Spain. Discretely, he was also hunting for ships and ammunition with which to sink the Spanish fleet, then blockading the port of Valparaiso. He provoked a diplomatic scandal and found himself in court. Vicuña Mackenna went on to translate his youthful revolutionary activism into transformative, liberal policies and achievements that changed Chile - as a politician, governor of Santiago and, very nearly, president of the republic.
European in Chile and Peru
