Description
By Bernal Díaz del Castillo. A first-person narrative chronicling the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire in the early 16th century. As a soldier who participated directly in Hernán Cortés’s expeditions, Díaz offers a detailed, and personal perspective of the campaigns that led to the fall of Tenochtitlan.
His account covers encounters with the Indians, brutal battles, internal conflicts among the Spaniards, and the staggering cultural encounters that characterized this period.
It’s the straightforward account of a soldier, not the dainty and carefully balanced prose of an academic or diplomat. It is thus devoid of “political correctness.” This volume allows Diaz to tell his story as he would have it, and, besides his observations of the Aztec people and their temples, he describes their massive ritual sacrifices—the details of which are many times excised from modern history books.
Along the way, he emphasizes the bravery and suffering of the rank-and-file soldiers, highlighting their hardships, loyalty, and contributions to the conquest. His storytelling is earthy and direct, filled with rich detail about battles, landscapes, alliances, betrayals, and the vast treasures of the Indian empires.
He frames the entire campaign as part of a divine mission to bring Christianity to the New World and is one of the most important eyewitness accounts of the Spanish conquest.
About the author: Bernal Díaz del Castillo (c. 1492–1584) was born in Spain and sailed to the New World as a young man, taking part in early expeditions to Central America before joining Hernán Cortés’s legendary campaign against the Aztec Empire in 1519. Díaz fought in many key battles, including the dramatic siege of Tenochtitlan. Following the conquest, Díaz settled in present-day Guatemala, where he became a landowner and colonial official.
Softcover, 402 pages, illustrated, #938, $25.
