The True History Of The Conquest Of New Spain By Bernal Diaz Del Castillo One Of Its Conquerors

Books I-IV (1517-19), translated into English and edited, with introduction and notes, by Alfred Percival Maudslay, M.A., Hon. Professor of Archaeology, National Museum, Mexico, concerning the discovery of Mexico and the expeditions of Francisco Hernández de Cordova and Hernan Cortés, the march inland, and the war in Tlaxcala. The edition includes a bibliography of Mexico, pp. 311-68. Continued in Second Series 24, 25, 30, and 40. This is a new print-on-demand hardback edition of the volume first published in 1908.

Continued from Second Series 23, 24, 25, 30. Books XIV-XVII, translated into English and edited, with introduction and notes, by Alfred Percival Maudslay, M.A., Hon. Professor of Archaeology, National Museum, Mexico, relating the expedition to Honduras, the return to Mexico, the rule of the Audiencia there, and the record of the conquistadores, with an appendix including the fifth letter of Cortés to the Emperor Charles V, 1526. This is a new print-on-demand hardback edition of the volume first published in 1916. Owing to technical constraints the Map of Tabasco, by Melchor Alfaro de Santa Cruz, 1579 is not included.

Vivid, powerful and absorbing, this is a first-person account of one of the most startling military episodes in history: the overthrow of Montezuma's doomed Aztec Empire by the ruthless Hernan Cortes and his band of adventurers. Bernal Díaz del Castillo, himself a soldier under Cortes, presents a fascinatingly detailed description of the Spanish landing in Mexico in 1520 and their amazement at the city, the exploitation of the natives for gold and other treasures, the expulsion and flight of the Spaniards, their regrouping and eventual capture of the Aztec capital.

"It is difficult to think of a better way of introducing students to the rich diversity of Hispanic civilization in the Golden Age and Enlightenment than through the pages of this book."—History

Originally titled Historia Verdadera de la Conquista de la Nueva España (The True History of the Conquest of New Spain), this first-person narrative by the military adventurer, conquistador, and settler Bernal Díaz del Castillo (1492-1584) recounts the fall of Aztec Emperor Moctezuma II, the defeat of the Aztec Empire, and his participation in the Spanish military campaigns that brought them about. Díaz served in three Mesoamerican expeditions, that of Francisco Hernández de Córdoba to the Yucatán peninsula (1517); that of Juan de Grijalva (1518), and finally the expedition of Hernán Cortés (1519) in the Valley of Mexico. Amongst chroniclers, Díaz was most celebrated as Daniel Defoe (1660-1731) was amongst novelists. Beyond the sheer adventure and conflict, Díaz del Castillo's work serves as a crucial document for understanding the complexities of Spanish colonization, the clash of civilizations, and the inevitable changes it brought to the New World. His account not only sheds light on the strategic military maneuvers and alliances formed with various indigenous groups but also reflects on the cultural exchanges, misunderstandings, and the human aspects of this epochal period. The Conquest of New Spain stands not just as a testament to the indomitable spirit of the conquerors, but also as a poignant reminder of the worlds that were irrevocably changed in the wake of their ambitions.

This rugged new translation--the first entirely new English translation in half a century and the only one based on the most recent critical edition of the Guatemalan MS--allows Diaz to recount, in his own battle-weary and often cynical voice, the achievements, stratagems, and frequent cruelty of Hernando Cortes and his men as they set out to overthrow Moctezuma's Aztec kingdom and establish a Spanish empire in the New World. The concise contextual introduction to this volume traces the origins, history, and methods of the Spanish enterprise in the Americas; it also discusses the nature of the conflict between the Spanish and the Aztecs in Mexico, and compares Diaz's version of events to those of other contemporary chroniclers. Editorial glosses summarize omitted portions, and substantial footnotes explain those terms, names, and cultural references in Diaz's text that may be unfamiliar to modern readers. A chronology of the Conquest is included, as are a guide to major figures, a select bibliography, and three maps.

The History of the Conquest of New Spain by Bernal Diaz del Castillo, a new abridgement of Diaz del Castillo's classic Historia verdadera de la conquista de Nueva España, offers a unique contribution to our understanding of the political and religious forces that drove the great cultural encounter between Spain and the Americas known as the "conquest of Mexico." Besides containing important passages, scenes, and events excluded from other abridgements, this edition includes eight useful interpretive essays that address indigenous religions and cultural practices, sexuality during the early colonial period, the roles of women in indigenous cultures, and analysis of the political and economic purposes behind Diaz del Castillo's narrative. A series of maps illuminate the routes of the conquistadors, the organization of indigenous settlements, the struggle for the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, as well as the disastrous Spanish journey to Honduras. The information compiled for this volume offers increased accessibility to the original text, places it in a wider social and narrative context, and encourages further learning, research, and understanding.