When the Viceroy Came

In the late 1600s, the arrival in Mexico of a new viceroy was occasion for speculation, excitement, and celebration -- and considerable apprehension. As the representative of the King of Spain, the viceroy not only had supreme power over the colony, but also set the tone for much of the social life of colonial Mexico. Required reading in Mexican schools, When the Viceroy Came is a charming and vivid tale of the arrival of Viceroy Albuquerque in Mexico in 1702, an event that inspired a richly painted screen that in turn inspired the illustrations in the book. Individual details are taken from the screen's painting, and one of the Viceroy's real-life pages becomes a character in this story and a guide for the reader through the lively tableaux of pomp and ceremony. A companion volume to Broken Shields and What the Aztecs Told Me, When the Viceroy Came was imaginatively designed to make this rich historical material accessible to children, who will delight in the images of dancing, feasting, bullfighting, gossiping, and the breathtaking spectacle of the viceroy's carriage.