Alonso Carrió de Lavandera

Alonso Carrió de Lavandera (born 1715, Gijón, Spain—died 1778?) was a Spanish colonial administrator whose accounts of his travels from Buenos Aires to Lima are considered to be a precursor of the Spanish American novel.

Carrió’s El lazarillo de ciegos caminantes (1775; El Lazarillo: A Guide for Inexperienced Travellers Between Buenos Aires and Lima) was originally attributed to Don Calixto Bustamente, Carrió’s Indian guide and traveling companion. Investigation revealed that Carrió had used a pseudonym to avoid punishment for having been critical of the Spanish regime. Critics have praised the book’s clear and vibrant style, detailed descriptions, and satiric tone. Carrió’s realistic observations of the life and customs of the gauderios, the cowboys of the pampas, contrast sharply with the highly romanticized picture of later writers.