ÁLVARES, Francisco.

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Historia de las Cosas de Ethiopia Third Spanish edition of Álvares's influential description of Ethiopia, a narrative of his diplomatic mission of 1520-26. Originally published in 1540 in Portuguese, it is the earliest extensive printed account of the country and a fundamental source of information on 16th-century Ethiopian history, geography, and social life.Álvares spent six years in the country travelling through different provinces, including Hamasen, Säraye, and Tigray (where he visited the ancient city of Aksum), eventually reaching the court of Lebna Dengel. "The scope of the work... goes beyond Christian Ethiopia to include valuable insights into neighbouring Muslim kingdoms. In ch. 113, Álvares describes the fighting that broke out between Ethiopia and the sultanate of ʿAdal, and the death in battle of its ruler, Mahfuz ibn Muhammad (Mafudi) in July 1517... Together with the works of the Jesuit missionaries, Álvares' narrative continues to be the most widely used among the historical sources for the Horn of Africa" (Thomas et al., p. 787).The Arabian Peninsula occupies a prominent place in the account. After leaving Ethiopia, the embassy sailed along the coast of Yemen and wintered at Aden, then visited Muscat and headed towards India. Moreover, Alvarez comments on diplomatic connections between the rulers of Ethiopia and Mecca, and on trading links between the Horn of Africa and Jidda. The present Spanish translation, first published in 1557, is by Thomas Padilla (a

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