Épica y panegírico en Arauco domado (1596) de Pedro de Oña

This article presents new thoughts on the limits of the epic form in Pedro de Oña's Arauco domado (1596), drawing attention on two devices that undermine the panegyric of the viceroy García Hurtado de Mendoza: the debatable nature of the viceroy‧s exploits and the growing relevance of indigenous figures as the story progresses. The representation of the latter emulates, in turn, the pattern of the pastoral novel, an issue that has been read by critics as a purely imitative attitude of the author, but which is presented here as an instrument to manifest a Creole nostalgia for the homeland.