The Conquest of New Spain
A First Person Narrative of the Fall of the Aztec Empire
Published on 1. November 2023
Book
Paperback/Softback
1200 pages
978-1-7380192-4-3 (ISBN)
Description
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.
More details
Series
Language
English
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 64 mm
Weight
1694 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-7380192-4-3 (9781738019243)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Bernal Díaz del Castillo (1492-1584) was a Spanish conquistador and historian who played a significant role in the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire in the early 16th century. Born in Medina del Campo, Spain, he traveled to the New World in search of adventure and fortune. Díaz del Castillo is best known for his firsthand account of the conquest, "The Conquest of New Spain," which provides a detailed and vivid narrative of the events from the perspective of a soldier involved in the expedition led by Hernán Cortés. His work stands out for its detailed descriptions of battles, the customs and cultures of the indigenous peoples, and the political dynamics within the Spanish expedition. Despite controversies over its accuracy and biases, his account remains one of the most important and influential primary sources for understanding the Spanish conquest of Mexico and the fall of the Aztec Empire.