This landmark book explores how Spain tried to come to terms with independent Indians on the frontiers of its American empire in the late 1700s. "[An] important new book. . . . It displays . . . a mastery of the literature and impressive erudition; a capacity for the patient teasing out of the truth from sources that are often incomplete and partisan; and a lucid narrative style that carries the reader along. . . . A formidable achievement."J. H. Elliott,New York Review of Books "A stunning book that will be read for generations and lauded for its awesome research, judicious analysis, and graceful prose."James Schofield Saeger, Lehigh University