Gregorio De Robles, a Plebeian Traveler within and between Empires at the End of the 17th Century

In 1688, a farmer of La Mancha named Gregorio de Robles decided to leave behind everything he had ever known to, in his own words, “see the world.” After being recruited in Sevilla as a soldier for the fortress in Saint Augustine, Robles convinced his superiors to be discharged. This was the beginning of 14 years of travel across the Atlantic and the Caribbean, visiting territories of the English, French, Dutch, and particularly, the Spanish crown. He crossed several times Nueva Granada and the highlands of Peru, visited Rio de la Plata and the Magellan’s strait, and was captured by pirates in at least two occasions. Everywhere he went he described interactions with local peoples, who gave him money and clothes to continue his travels. He described the state of cities, Indian villages, mines in the highlands, and the presence of foreign smugglers everywhere he went. My presentation argues that Robles’ narrative provides a unique perspective of the Atlantic world of its time, a Spanish plebeian voice among the few ones of its kind existing in the late 17^thcentury.