The Cradle of Words: Language and Knowledge in the Spanish Empire. By Valeria López Fadul. Baltimore: John Hopkins Press, 2025. Pp. 296. 64. 95 cloth; 64. 95 eBook.

Key Points

• Language significantly influenced knowledge transfer in the Spanish Empire, forging connections across diverse cultures.
• The interplay of words and cultural practices shaped literature and intellectual discourse throughout the empire's history.
• Cultural exchange, driven by language, played a crucial role in the evolution of identity within Spanish territories.
• The study emphasizes the historical importance of language in understanding the complexities of the Spanish Empire.