The stamps were issued by Argentina in 1989 to commemorate Espamer ‘90 and the Discovery of American in 1492.

Columbus' Book of Privileges

     The first stamp has Columbus’ coat of arms and a picture of the title page of his Book of Privileges, a collection of the agreements between Columbus and the King and Queen of Spain made in 1502 before his final voyage, as well as other documents which enumerated his rights to titles and profits from previous voyages and instructions for the third voyage. Three copies were written on vellum and one on paper

Guaman Poma de Ayala's Nueva Crónica y buen gobierno

     In 1615 a native Andean, Gauman Poma de Ayala, composed a manuscript detailing the damaging effects of Spanish colonization on this area of South America. He illustrated his Nueva Crónica y buen gobierno (New Chronicle and Good Government) with 398 of his own drawings. The one on the stamp is titled: La Ciudade Tucuman Bishopric. The manuscript was cataloged in the Royal Library of Denmark before 1785 and then was lost until it was discovered by Richard A. Pietschmann in 1908. A digital form, is at http://www.kb.dk/elib/mss/poma/index-en.htm.

Pedro Cieza de Leon's Descubrimiento y conquista del Perú

     The first part of Descubrimiento y conquista del Perú (Discovery and Conquest of Peru) was finished in 1550 and published at Seville in 1553. It was intended to have two more parts, but the author, Pedro Cieza de Leon, died in 1560 without having completed his book. It is a topographical view of the country of Peru at the time of the conquest. The other three parts were intended to provide a pre-conquest history, the history of the conquest, and the civil wars which followed the conquest. An English version is available from amazon.com.

Ulrich Schmidl's Viaje Al Rio de la Plata

     Ulrich Schmidl, a Bavarian mercenary, wrote Viaje Al Rio de la Plata (Journey to the River Plate) between 1534 and 1559. It tells of his experiences during the founding of what now is called Buenas Aires, among other matters. I have found very little information about Schmidl and his experiences. I would appreciate any further information. Also, please see the discussion of Argentina SCN 875.