Strange as it may seem, the theater is probably the least known of the cultural manifestations of Latin America, despite the fact that its history can be traced back to the pre-Columbian civilizations of the Maya, Aztecs, and Incas. The first references to an indigenous theater are found in the second and third Cartas de relación of Hernán Cortés and in the Royal Commentaries of the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega. Only fragmentary evidence is preserved, unfortunately, of the considerable dramatic activity that took place during the colonial period. A few of the plays are known by tide, and still fewer have survived in manuscript form, until we come to those of Fernán González de Eslava, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, and the Mexican playwright, Juan Ruiz de Alarcón (1580-1639), whose comedias were produced in Spain during the height of that country's Golden Age.