<DIV>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. <BR><BR>"[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, <I>New York Review of Books</I><BR> <BR>"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<BR> <BR> <BR><BR></P></DIV>