Alonso de Ovalle, Historica relacion del Reyno de Chile (Rome, 1648)

The first substantial book about Chile printed in Europe, written by a Jesuit born in Santiago who found that in much of Europe people did not even know the country's name. It credits the Mapuche resistance with the valour that made the war long, reports women who refused Spanish dress after a lifetime among Spaniards, describes knotted cords kept as books of account, and carries the map and engravings that gave Europe its first look at the place.