English Visions On The Maya Region In The Sixteenth Century

Abstract

Through the presentation and analysis of the documents published and circulated in England during the sixteenth century, this article studies the origins of the process of construction of English visions about the region known today as Maya. In a context framed by increasing tensions with Spain, the Maya region —conveniently close to English havens in the Caribbean— was perceived by some Englishmen as a strategic zone to erode Spanish power and to promote English rising imperial aspirations