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A review by mswm36
The Conquest of New Spain by Bernal Diaz del Castillo
5.0
Diaz gives a first-hand account of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire in 1519-1521. He paints a vivid picture of the action that took place during the conquest: the battles fought against, and alliances formed with, the various native tribes on the march to Mexico; the many challenges faced by the Spanish and their leader, Cortes, including significant internal division at times; and the siege and eventual capture of Mexico. His descriptions of the Mexican's ritual of sacrifice are particularly captivating, including this passage during the capture of Mexico:
We saw our comrades who had been captured in Cortes' defeat being dragged up the steps to be sacrificed. When they had hauled them up to a small platform in front of the shrine where they kept their accursed idols we saw them put plumes on the heads of many of them: and then they made them dance with a sort of fan in front of Huichilobos. Then after they had danced the papas laid them down on their backs on some narrow stones of sacrifice and, cutting open their chests, drew out their palpitating hearts which they offered to the idols before them. Then they kicked their bodies down the steps, and the Indian butchers who were waiting below cut off their arms and legs and flayed their faces, which they afterwards prepared like glove leather, with their beards on, and kept for their drunken festivals.
Diaz gave his account almost 50 years after the conquest. This naturally leads to questions about the reliability of Diaz's memory and the account. Nevertheless, his account is a gripping read and provides a fascinating insight into Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica and the events that led to the fall of the Aztec Empire.
We saw our comrades who had been captured in Cortes' defeat being dragged up the steps to be sacrificed. When they had hauled them up to a small platform in front of the shrine where they kept their accursed idols we saw them put plumes on the heads of many of them: and then they made them dance with a sort of fan in front of Huichilobos. Then after they had danced the papas laid them down on their backs on some narrow stones of sacrifice and, cutting open their chests, drew out their palpitating hearts which they offered to the idols before them. Then they kicked their bodies down the steps, and the Indian butchers who were waiting below cut off their arms and legs and flayed their faces, which they afterwards prepared like glove leather, with their beards on, and kept for their drunken festivals.
Diaz gave his account almost 50 years after the conquest. This naturally leads to questions about the reliability of Diaz's memory and the account. Nevertheless, his account is a gripping read and provides a fascinating insight into Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica and the events that led to the fall of the Aztec Empire.