The Future Was Yesterday

About the Book

The Book, The Future Was Yesterday, is an historical novel based on the life of Xeronimo de Aguilar, a Spanish lay brother, who was shipwrecked in 1520 on the coast of Yucatan, nine years before Corts exploration and subsequent conquest of the Aztec Empire.  In the first part of the book, the author develops the ambience of the pre-Columbian Mayan lands and describes the tensions and effects produced there by the rumors that filtered in of the Spanish conquest and settlement of the Caribbean islands. He further developed an exciting story about the life of the shipwrecked Spaniard in that ambience.  In the latter portion of the book, the author describes how Xeronimo de Aguilar is passed to Corts troop by his Mayan owners and his subsequent role as Corts first effective translator, translating Mayan to Spanish and his role in identifying and making useful, Doa Marina (la Malinche), who spoke only Mayan and Nahuatl.  The adventures of the conquest and Xeronimos development as a priest in Mexico conclude the story.

    The book is both a first-class adventure story and a fairly accurate portrayal of aspects in Mexico just before the Conquest as well as during and after the Conquest.  The development of the protagonists character, his adventures, and the rich historical character of the story combine to make the novella a joy to read.

About the Author

Torcuato Luca de Tena was born in Madrid in 1923. He studied law at the universities of Valladolid, Santiago de Chile, and Madrid, from which last he received his degree. He never practiced law, but rather devoted his life to literature and as a news correspondent to papers in London, Washington, and Mexico. He was the editor of the daily ABC for 16 years. During this time, despite the demands of his career as a newspaper correspondent and editor, he worked intensely as an author. His writings include two books of poems, numerous historical essays, plays, and many novels and short stories. He has received the Spanish National Award for Literature, the Cervantes Society Award, and the Planeta Award. He is a member of the Spanish Royal Academy, having been elected in recognition of his literary achievements.