The Conquest of New Spain

Written in the sixteenth century by a soldier in Cortes's army, this eyewitness history of the conquest of Mexico follows the expedition from the Cuban coast to Tenochtitlan and the fall of the Mexica empire. Diaz describes landing fights, the alliance with peoples hostile to Moctezuma, the causeway city, the noche triste retreat, and the final siege. He insists on the part played by ordinary captains and men against accounts that credit only the commander. Malinche, Velazquez, and native lords are recurring figures. The book is a veteran's chronicle, not a novel and not an Aztec-centered history.

Bound in green buckram with a design in gold. Map endleaves. Red-brown slipcase.