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A review by stinekristin
The Conquest of New Spain by Bernal Diaz del Castillo
5.0
A truly astonishing and absolutely captivating first-hand account of the conquest of Mexico, told in breathtaking detail.
J. M. Cohen's translation is first class, his abbreviations of some of Díaz' text is concise and true to Díaz' style of writing, as is his explanatory and informative footnotes.
What strikes me most is how lucky Hernán Cortés seems to have been on his voyage towards the Aztec Empire. Not only does he and his conquistadors arrive during a time when the Aztec Empire seems to be looked upon unfavourably by the other city-states of the Empire and other towns which has been forces to pay taxes and tribute to the Aztec king Moctezuma.
According to Díaz' account, it seems wherever they go, they are met by people who are eager to overthrow their Aztec lord.
At the same time he receives two interpreters; Jerónimo de Aguilar, who had previously been taken captive by the Maya and later escaped when he heard heard of Spanish ships nearing the coast of Mexico, and later Doña Marina, La Malinche, who was given to the conquistadors as a gift from the people of Tabasco. These two interpretors are crucial to Cortés' progression into Mexico and especially in winning allies along the way.
As they advance further into the land, several towns and their chiefs come out to welcome the newcomers, bringing gifts of gold, cloth, turquoise, and women.
Cortés is quick to offer them sweets words and promises of gold and power in exchange for food, shelter, and soldiers. His own conquistadors seem to always be aware of his sly cunning and sometimes flat out lies in order to secure himself an army large enough to take on the Aztecs; tricking them, lying to them, and making devious plans to scare them into joining him.
Although Díaz presents Cortés in a faily favourable light as a great strategist, brave soldier, and good Christian, one cannot but help to reflect upon how excessively the natives were taken advantage of.
Although Cortés arrived in Mexico with about 600 men, including crossbowmen, musketeers, infantry, cavalry, and cannons, he arrives at the final battle of Tenochtitlan with 24 000 soldiers according to Díaz. Most of his army consists of allies from Tlaxcala, Texcoco, Cempoala, and other surrounding cities.
After the so-called La Noche Triste, where the conquistadors were driven out of Tenochtitlan, the Díaz notes that almost every one of them were wounded, many were killed, and they lacked arrows, gun powder, food, and shelter. They find refuge in Tlaxcala, and receive reinforcements from ships arriving from Cuba and Spain with fresh soldiers, horses, and gun powder. At the same time, smallpox hits the Aztec capital.
It could seem that, were it not for Cortés' native allied force, the siege and fall of Tenochtitlan might never have happened. Despite the Spaniard's steel armour, horses, and cannons, they are driven out of Tenochtitlan during La Noche Triste by the sheer number of Aztec warriors.
Later, as Cortés arrives with his new army, he decides to cut off Tenochtitlan's food and water supply, and the capital lies in the middle of Lake Texcoco, relying on canoes bringing food and fresh water into the city.
After the siege, Díaz describes the dead soldiers in the streets and starving citizens of the Aztec capitol. Cortés seems to have had an incredible luck, and the Aztecs to have been exceptionally unlucky during the time of the siege.
Naturally Díaz details the many battles they endured from their arrival in Mexico to the fall of Tenochtitlan, but I also appreciate how he in great detail describes the people, their food, their towns and cities, fashion and decorations, their markets, and their soldiers. It is clear that the conquistadors were taken aback by the beauty of this new land and its cities. It tells us how developed, cultured, and advanced the natives of Mexico really were, contrary to popular belief.
Díaz' account ends somewhat abruptly with the fall of Tenochtitlan, and he ends by explaining how chiefs from distant towns came to congratulate Cortés on his victory, and brought their children into the fallen city to show them the ruins of this great empire and if to say, 'Here stood Troy' (Díaz' own words). He then explains to the 'interested reader' why so many of the conquistadors decided not to settle in Tenochtitlan, but rather travel to other places and cities to seek their fortune there. They realised that all the gold and jewels they had believed could be found in Tenochtitlan did not existed at all, but came from other places, drove them out to destroy the rest of the country.
I can't help but to think what Tenochtitlan was really like. Imagine seeing it in all it's glory. Something so different, so unique, so unlike anything one have seen before. And I can't help but to think how the Spaniards, and everyone who came after them, destroyed it all and burned it to the ground in search of gold and riches, and today all that is left are some rocks and ruins, and I can't help but to think of this quote form Bernal Díaz the first time they arrived in Tenochtitlan:
J. M. Cohen's translation is first class, his abbreviations of some of Díaz' text is concise and true to Díaz' style of writing, as is his explanatory and informative footnotes.
What strikes me most is how lucky Hernán Cortés seems to have been on his voyage towards the Aztec Empire. Not only does he and his conquistadors arrive during a time when the Aztec Empire seems to be looked upon unfavourably by the other city-states of the Empire and other towns which has been forces to pay taxes and tribute to the Aztec king Moctezuma.
According to Díaz' account, it seems wherever they go, they are met by people who are eager to overthrow their Aztec lord.
'On hearing this, all these towns complained about Montezuma and his tax-collectors, speaking in private so that the Mexican ambassadors should not hear them, however. They said these officials robbed them of all they possessed, and that if their wives and daughters were pretty they would violate them in front of their fathers and husband and carry them away. They also said the Mexicans made the men work like slaves[...]'
At the same time he receives two interpreters; Jerónimo de Aguilar, who had previously been taken captive by the Maya and later escaped when he heard heard of Spanish ships nearing the coast of Mexico, and later Doña Marina, La Malinche, who was given to the conquistadors as a gift from the people of Tabasco. These two interpretors are crucial to Cortés' progression into Mexico and especially in winning allies along the way.
As they advance further into the land, several towns and their chiefs come out to welcome the newcomers, bringing gifts of gold, cloth, turquoise, and women.
Cortés is quick to offer them sweets words and promises of gold and power in exchange for food, shelter, and soldiers. His own conquistadors seem to always be aware of his sly cunning and sometimes flat out lies in order to secure himself an army large enough to take on the Aztecs; tricking them, lying to them, and making devious plans to scare them into joining him.
Although Díaz presents Cortés in a faily favourable light as a great strategist, brave soldier, and good Christian, one cannot but help to reflect upon how excessively the natives were taken advantage of.
Although Cortés arrived in Mexico with about 600 men, including crossbowmen, musketeers, infantry, cavalry, and cannons, he arrives at the final battle of Tenochtitlan with 24 000 soldiers according to Díaz. Most of his army consists of allies from Tlaxcala, Texcoco, Cempoala, and other surrounding cities.
After the so-called La Noche Triste, where the conquistadors were driven out of Tenochtitlan, the Díaz notes that almost every one of them were wounded, many were killed, and they lacked arrows, gun powder, food, and shelter. They find refuge in Tlaxcala, and receive reinforcements from ships arriving from Cuba and Spain with fresh soldiers, horses, and gun powder. At the same time, smallpox hits the Aztec capital.
It could seem that, were it not for Cortés' native allied force, the siege and fall of Tenochtitlan might never have happened. Despite the Spaniard's steel armour, horses, and cannons, they are driven out of Tenochtitlan during La Noche Triste by the sheer number of Aztec warriors.
Later, as Cortés arrives with his new army, he decides to cut off Tenochtitlan's food and water supply, and the capital lies in the middle of Lake Texcoco, relying on canoes bringing food and fresh water into the city.
After the siege, Díaz describes the dead soldiers in the streets and starving citizens of the Aztec capitol. Cortés seems to have had an incredible luck, and the Aztecs to have been exceptionally unlucky during the time of the siege.
Naturally Díaz details the many battles they endured from their arrival in Mexico to the fall of Tenochtitlan, but I also appreciate how he in great detail describes the people, their food, their towns and cities, fashion and decorations, their markets, and their soldiers. It is clear that the conquistadors were taken aback by the beauty of this new land and its cities. It tells us how developed, cultured, and advanced the natives of Mexico really were, contrary to popular belief.
'Some of our soldiers who had been in many parts of the world, in Constantinople, in Rome, and all over Italy, said that they had never seen a marked so well laid out, so large, so orderly, and so full of people.'
'The men has great holes in their lower lips, in which some carried stone disks spotted with blue, and others thin sheets of gold. They also had great holes in their ears, in which they has inserted disks og stone or gold; and they were very different in their dress and speech from the Mexicans who had been staying with us.'
Díaz' account ends somewhat abruptly with the fall of Tenochtitlan, and he ends by explaining how chiefs from distant towns came to congratulate Cortés on his victory, and brought their children into the fallen city to show them the ruins of this great empire and if to say, 'Here stood Troy' (Díaz' own words). He then explains to the 'interested reader' why so many of the conquistadors decided not to settle in Tenochtitlan, but rather travel to other places and cities to seek their fortune there. They realised that all the gold and jewels they had believed could be found in Tenochtitlan did not existed at all, but came from other places, drove them out to destroy the rest of the country.
'Learning from Montezuma's account books the names of the places which sent him tributes of gold, and where the mines og chocolate and cotton-cloths were to be found, we decided to go to these places[...] and when we realized that there were no gold or mines or cotton in the plantations around Mexico, only a lot of maize and the maguey plantations from which they obtained their wine. For this reason we thought of it as a poor land, and went off to colonize other provinces. But we were utterly deceived.'
I can't help but to think what Tenochtitlan was really like. Imagine seeing it in all it's glory. Something so different, so unique, so unlike anything one have seen before. And I can't help but to think how the Spaniards, and everyone who came after them, destroyed it all and burned it to the ground in search of gold and riches, and today all that is left are some rocks and ruins, and I can't help but to think of this quote form Bernal Díaz the first time they arrived in Tenochtitlan:
'When we saw so many cities and villages built in the water and other great towns on dry land we were amazed and said that it was like the enchantments they tell of in the legend of Amadís. And some of our soldiers even asked whether the things that we saw were not a dream? It was all so wonderful I do not know how to describe it, seeing things as we did that had never been heard of or seen before, not even dreamed about.'