Consisting of first-person accounts of the conquest of Mexico, this book provides generally quite satisfactory translations of sources which up to now have been largely unavailable, particularly in English. Believers in the Black Legend will find considerable ammunition to support their assertions that the Hispanic conquest of America was a remorseless enslavement of aboriginal peoples with no regard for their persons or property. On the other hand, apologists will find in these accounts the seed of the great Hispanic acculturation process, with the corresponding introduction of the blessings of European civilization to the lives of the barbarian Indians.
Seven accounts are presented in sequence with a brief introduction for each: 1) The chronicle of Mercedarian secular Juan Díaz, who acted as chaplain of Juan de Grijalva’s precursory expedition to the Mexican mainland in 1518; 2) the account of prominent Cortesian lieutenant Andrés de Tapia; 3) The well-known third letter of El Conquistador, himself, to Charles I & V, the inclusion of which is justifiable for its literary merit and for the contrast that it produces with the other, less learned accounts; 4) The ex post facto narrative of conqueror-turned-Dominican Francisco de Aguilar, who wrote late in life; 5) The chronicle of the “anonymous conquistador,” apparently some member of the Cortés company who emanated from Castilla la Vieja, whose unsophisticated and unvarnished account yields refreshing insights; 6) Two letters of Tonatiuh, as the Aztecs called Cortés’ chief lieutenant, Pedro de Alvarado; 7) and the chronicle of García del Pilar, the little known source written by a soldier of Cortés who later became a henchman of the malevolent Nuño de Guzmán.
Such accounts as this book presents are the life blood of contact period history, whether standard or revisionist in nature. Consequently they have great value to the studies of ethnology, ethnogeography, ethnography, and geography. Perhaps even more can be gained by way of insight into contemporary Spanish aspirations, philosophy, religion, customs, expression of ideas, and military tactics. One is forcibly struck by the numerous supernatural manifestations recorded, by the universal disgust felt by the conquerors concerning certain Aztec religious practices, and particularly by the comparatives used by these chroniclers in describing New World items.
Interesting and useful as this book is, the value might have been further enhanced by inclusion of a much-needed index. A few typographical errors and an occasional awkward rendition of the original Spanish can be excused, though with little extra exertion they might have been avoided.
The value of this book is greatly enhanced by inclusion of thirty excellent illustrations, including aboriginal art in the form of lienzos and codices, drawings, maps, and artifacts. A series of informative footnotes add detail to some of the passages, and the editor is to be commended on the restraint she has used in not having footnoted to death passages that possess inherent clarity.
