How the Spanish Empire Was Built

A 400-Year History

By: Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, Manuel Lucena Giraldo

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Paperback | 1 November 2025

At a Glance

Paperback
352 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
19.8 x 12.9 x 3.4

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$34.75

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In the sixteenth century, Spain was small and divided, yet it built the largest empire in history.

How? Felipe Fernandez-Armesto and Manuel Lucena Giraldo reveal the crucial role of engineers in this achievement. By investing in infrastructure that benefited local elites, Spain expanded its influence and enriched trade networks. Through vivid stories of engineers, prospectors, soldiers and priests, the authors bring Spanish America's age of conquest to life. Now in paperback, this dazzling history redefines empire as a venture shaped by collaboration as well as oppression, offering fresh insights into the rise of the Spanish Empire and the complexities of its legacy.

'A richly researched account of the clever, industrious and deeply practical men who followed in the footsteps, often literally, of Columbus, Cortés, Pizarro, Núñez de Balboa and others.' – Wall Street Journal

About the Author

Felipe Fernández-Armesto is the William P. Reynolds Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame and an award-winning scholar and historian. His books include Straits.

Manuel Lucena Giraldo is a research scientist at the Spanish National Research Council and an adjunct professor at IE University and ESCP Business School Europe. His books include Firsting in the Early Modern Atlantic World.

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