Summary

Vasco read a Spanish-language version of “Utopia” by Thomas More translated by Quevedo. He used it to create a new form of utopian society in Santa Fe, Mexico, which was very successful, largely due to its similarities with the way-of-life of the indigenous population that had existed before the Spanish conquests. Some of the communities founded by Vasco still operate in a similar way in the present. An extract from “Utopia” mentioning tennis follows.

At the tennis match, the poet was motivated to win by his shame over the events of the previous night. The artist said the poet would never be able to guess the provenance of the tennis ball they were using. The previous night, ashamed of being caught by the Duke in an act of homosexuality, the poet accused the artist of trying to rob him. They fought in...