"Jeremy Ravi Mumford's gracefully written study is a major contribution not only to the history of the Andes and colonial Latin America, but also to the history of colonialism. The most detailed examination of the project to date, Vertical Empire adds new depth and dimension to what many regard as one of the greatest feats of social engineering in modern history: the resettlement of the Andean population ordered by Francisco de Toledo, fifth viceroy of Peru."—Karen Spalding, author of Huarochirí: An Andean Society under Inca and Spanish Rule "This is a work of superior scholarship, and it will have a major impact in the field of Andean studies. Scholars and non-specialists alike have long seen the General Resettlement of Indians ordered in 1569 as a crushing blow landed on Andeans by their Spanish colonizers. Yet Jeremy Ravi Mumford shows a much more nuanced, ambivalent process. Vertical Empire joins a fast-growing secondary literature that emphasizes Andeans' agency."—Kathryn Burns, author of Into the Archive: Writing and Power in Colonial Peru "Vertical Empire is a fine, much-needed study…. Jeremy Ravi Mumford makes clear the resettlement’s importance, both to Andean society and as an early move toward the practice of governmentality charted by Michel Foucault.”
David T. Garrett
American Historical Review
“Mumford’s crisscrossing through critical political events in the sixteenth-century Andes is much appreciated as he draws together innovative conclusions regarding the process of colonial policy that included ecclesiastical and Crown officials, local colonizers, and Andean elites.”
Rachel Sarah O’Toole
A Contracorriente
“Considering the quality and innovation of both its historical narrative and its methodology, as well as its clear and synthetic style Vertical Empire should interest specialists and general readers alike. Andeanists will be especially interested in Munford’s comparisons between Peru, Spain, Mexico, and New Granada, in his ideas about imperial thinking and empire building, and in his creative combination of micro and macro analyses.” 
Julian Diaz Torres
Itinerario
"Mumford's approach persuasively guides readers from a general analysis to a local, archival-based perspective. He uses such a strategy to portray the complexities of a major turning point in Andean history. In short, this is a well-planned, skillfully crafted study that should further shape our understanding of colonialism in the Americas."
Maria N. Marsilli
Colonial Latin American Historical Review
"Mumford offers comparisons between remote and recent times that freshen perception without pushing too much toward presentism...His sleek translations from Spanish also bring the reader—and especially the novice, whom Mumford bears very much in mind—close to the action."
Frank Salomon
Ethnohistory
“Vertical Empire offers stimulating insights and comparisons, and don Francisco de Toledo has yet to exhaust our curiosity.”
Caterina Pizzigoni
Comparative Studies in Society and History