"Examines official portrait collections in three prominent museums in three South American capitals--Lima, Buenos Aires, and Bogotá--to consider how works of art were active components in the construction of Ibero-American colonial histories and political relationships over nearly four hundred years until the wars of independence commenced in the region. Engel not only considers the images themselves for whom/what they depict but also contextualizes them by uncovering the histories of how these portraits were made (and by whom), as well as how they were displayed in certain spaces for specific reasons over time"--Provided by publisher.