It blows the mythology of political correctness to bits.
But that is the case with all factual history.
Read parts of this many years ago. Was impressed by how (iirc) the Spanish only had six horses, but that six mounted men were enough to turn the tide in much larger engagements.
Also worthy of note: the nations which had been defeated previously by the Aztecs eagerly joined the Spanish side.
Thanks, this book is sitting on my desk for summer reading at the beach.
Me debía leerlo en español.
Thanks for posting.
It is a great book. One of the points in it is that Cortez easily convinced the slave tribes to support him against the cannibal Aztecs. You don’t hear much about that from the La Raza people.
I read it many years ago in High school! I even read Prescott’s version. GREAT HISTORY!
Found a copy of Bernal Dias’ book not long ago and reread it. I considered it such a important book I donated it to the local library.
They tossed it, along with other real history books that I donated, in the Salvation Army bin. I will NEVER give them another book on anything.
I loved the part where a soldier convinced them to build an engine of war he had seen in Europe. From the description given, it was a catapult. It failed.
Then luck was with them when they, during the fight, needed water, dug a well and found fresh water in the middle of an island surrounded salt water.
Diaz wrote the book as an old man in his 80s. One of the reasons, I think, that it is so readable is that he wrote it in the plain language of an old soldier, not a scholar. He remembers the horses’ names, but can’t seem to recall the name of the priest who was on the expedition.
Agree. Another good book on this same subject is “Conquistador” by Buddy Levy. It fills in some details that Bernal Diaz’s book leaves out, particularly about the naval operations - the building of ships, their disassembly, transportation over the mountains, and fighting on the lake.
Excellent, educational book.
My dad made me read it many decades ago, and its a great corrective to most history - the nitty gritty nature of events, the constant worries about supplies and illness, rewards and personal relationships. In any great event there are the humble agents of it who actually suffer to achieve the result.
The second part of the book, after the familuar spectacle of the first part, which ends with the final campaign against Tenochtitlan, is maybe more educational. It is mainly detailed accounts of the grueling marches of the column of conquest from one Mexican settlement to another, year after year. The real conquest. Conquest was exhausting, tedious, painful.
I’ll have to read it. I purchased the book last year.
It’s on the list.
P4L
I read Bernal Diaz Conquest of New Spain back in the mid 90’s. His description of homosexuality in the priest hood along with human sacrifice was very similar to the practices of the Canaanites described in the Old Testament.
These two peoples had no contact with each other—yet they came up with similar practices. That meant that the bible’s contention that people are bad to the bone. That is —that they have defective gene—is forensically correct.
This turned me into a Christian.
“The Russians hacked the Aztecs”
Just test driving it.
Gutenburg(Project) has his memoirs in a 2 vol. set.
ON line versions.
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/32474/32474-h/32474-h.htm
http://www.jrbooksonline.com/diaz/diaz.htm
https://archive.org/details/tesisnoqueprese00garcgoog
Read it a while back ago. Some of narration that stuck out to me (paraphrased).
1) “We sent three crossbowmen and 3,000 auxiliaries to attack . . . “ THREE freaking crossbowmen? Tells a lot about the technological superiority.
2) “Capt. Sandoval was wounded seven times, only one being serious - a lance wound in the chest where his breath escaped.” (He survived)
3) “The darts flew so fast about me that it reminded me of walking through a field of locusts.” As a kid, I walked across a field and stirred up the grasshoppers, who went “FLRRRR” by my face. A very vivid recall.
4) (I guess the usual practice was to sear a wound, then coat it with grease.) “We ran out of grease for our wounds, so one of the men found a dead fat indian and we used that.” (Note to self: DO NOT mess with these guys.)
Discovery of Mexico...
By Bernal Diaz.
Will keep an Eye out for it!
thanx samuel
Roman counsels had chroniclers with them to record their exports and speeches and victories. Livy a roman historian who covers the first 500 years had access to he records of wealthy families and reconstructs speeches etc.
This is a book I enjoyed about Magellen. He had a chronicler.
Thanx again for your post.
Excellent info Mr. Twain. My hometown is a stones throw from yours.