The True History of the Conquest of New Spain

An eyewitness account of the conquest of Mexico (1519–1522); this volume focuses on the Aztec emperor Montezuma.

The journals of the foot soldier Bernal Díaz (1492–1584) are the fullest surviving eyewitness account of the Mexican conquest led by Hernán Cortés. This volume focuses on the relationship between the Spaniards and the Aztec emperor Montezuma, and contains a key to the maps on the accompanying website.Bernal Díaz del Castillo (1492–1584) was a foot soldier in the army of Mexico's conqueror Hernán Cortés, and participated in the campaigns that led to the fall of the Aztec empire in 1521. This 1928 translation of his journals derives from the 1904 edition by the Mexican historian Genaro García - the first edition based on the original manuscript. Written as a corrective to accounts that overemphasised Cortés' exploits, Díaz's epic focuses on the experiences of the common soldier. The most complete contemporary chronicle of the Mexican conquest, this important historical document is also a captivating adventure narrative that combines factual accuracy with many dramatic anecdotes. This volume focuses on the complex relationships that developed between the Spaniards and the Aztec emperor Montezuma on the army's arrival in Mexico. It contains chapters 82–136 and a key to the maps that appear at http://www.cambridge.org/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9781108017060.