Kris LaneKris Lane received his B.A. in History and Latin American Studies from the University of Colorado, Boulder, in 1991, and his Ph.D in History from the University of Minnesota in 1996. Lane specializes in Colonial Latin American history, focusing mostl on mining in the Andes Mountains of South America. Lane’s books include PILLAGING THE EMPIRE: PIRACY IN THE AMERICAS, 1500-1750 (1998) and QUITO, 1599: CITY & COLONY IN TRANSITION (2002). He also edited Bernardo de Vargas MACHUCA’S INDIAN MILITIA AND DESCRIPTION OF THE INDIES (2008) and DEFENSE OF THE WESTERN CONQUESTS (2009). Lane has also published articles on piracy, slavery, gold mining, headhunting, and witchcraft in colonial Ecuador and Colombia. His new book, COLOR OF PARADISE: COLOMBIAN EMERALDS IN THE AGE OF GUNPOWDER EMPIRES, is due out in 2010. Read More Read Less