Set in the colonial era, Tyrant Banderas takes place on an unspecified Spanish New World plot of land. A harsh dictator, Tyrant Banderas lives a life of luxury in an estate overlooking the main city. As the novel opens, the reader finds himself or herself immersed in a preparation of commoners, mostly Creole, to storm the tyrants castle and overtake him in rule.
The tyrant is very cunning, and he knows to himself that commoners would never be able to overtake his castle. With a group of loyal followers that he pays quite considerably, he listens to the gunshots outside the castle walls as he smirks to himself. Nearby, a prison is completely stocked with people, who have just come from a rebellion that the tyrant ended in a surrounding area.
The social classes of the people in the colony are very typical of the colonial era. For example, there are serfs, peasants, nobles, and, of course, the King. The King, in this case, is Tyrant Banderas, but he is not an actual king. All of these classes show the strong implementation of feudalism in society.
The characters leading the raid on the castle do not succeed, but only because they were never given what was necessary to succeed. In order to beat an armed fortress in battle, you would need gunpowder, cannons, and military experience. However, all of the peasants have lived as practical slaves for their entire lives.
In a time when people were born into their professions, Tyrant Banderas explores the harsh realities of what was once country living. This includes every inch of land and property being exploited for profit, and being treated like an instrument for farming whose fuel is bread and water.
