Fascinating insight into the "other side" of the Colonial Struggle
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Over the last year or so, I've been reading a fair bit about Spain's colonization of South America. The clash of civilizations is very interesting, but of course, is usually told from European point of view.
I was delighted to find this gem of a book - containing translated from native language accounts of what happened.
The book is very well organized, starting from rumours of just before the landing of the Spanish, the initial contact, all the way through to the end of the conquest and beyond.
It's probably worth reading in conjunction with another book if you're not familiar with the conquest, to get a more narrative form of history. But it really is an incredible insight - I went through the book very quickly, as I was absolutely riveted.
In summary, a superb read for anyone interested in the Spanish Conquest of the New World.
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Great account of Spanish conquest from Aztec point of view.
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This book is really good if you want to find out what 'really' happened when the Spanish came to Mexico. It explains in great detail all the events that lead up to Cortez conquring the Aztec empire.
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Good selection of native sources chronicle Mexican conquest.
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This work provides native Aztec tellings of the Spanish conquest under Cortez. The selections are presented chronologically, with typically two versions of each incident. The book itself is well done and not difficult to read, with some copies of native illustrations. Although this work cannot be compared to the vivid, first person account of Diaz, it does provide some interesting inside information on the Aztec reaction and their first impressions of the new arrivals. The final chapter brings the struggle of the native vanquished to light by quoting written sources through the 20th century. Unfortunately making the historical implications much too political. Still it is a well done and thoughtful book.
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What the textbooks don't tell you...
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This is a great book to read along with Bernal Diaz's Conquest of Mexico/New Spain. Told from a variety of Aztec viewpoints, these eyewitness accounts directly contradict what the Spanish reported. Obviously, both are right and wrong--and that's what makes this so good. (Excellent for high school students who want to see the choices historians have to make between differing primary sources.)
It's a 9 read alone, a 10 when combined with Diaz.
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