Taken as a whole, this collection of essays provides readers with a clear and satisfying reorientation of the study of the early Spanish conquest of the Americas. By placing indigenous peoples at the center of the frame of analysis, the collection delivers a coherent description of the process through which the Spanish subjugated the regions surrounding the valley of Mexico. Although generations of historians have understood the “conquest” of the Americas to be a process, rather than a single shocking event, these essays make clear how deeply the long-term endeavor depended upon indigenous agents for its success.
The essays, based upon careful research in primary sources, cover accounts and documents written by Spanish conquistadores; narratives produced by Hispanicized indigenous leaders; pictorial maps; and other visual materials. What emerges from the authors’ diligent work is a clear understanding that indigenous leaders and peoples did more than just collude with the Spanish...
