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The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico, 1517-1521
The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico 1517-1521 Author:Bernal Diaz del Castillo, Genaro Garcí, a (Editor), A. P. Maudslay (Translator) Bernal Diaz del Castillo (1495-1584) served under Cortes through the entire Mexican campaign, and his narrative, one of only four extant firsthand accounts, is both an invaluable historical document and a spectacular epic. He was with Cortes when the latter sank the ships, thus committing the small band of conquistadors irrevocably to the Conque... more »st; he was privy to the counsels of the leaders and was at hand when Montezuma was made a prisoner in his own palace. Bernal Diaz fought in over a hundred battles and skirmishes against an enemy who made living sacrifices of their prisoners. These things he saw and recorded in a bold blunt voice whose immediacy, in Maudslay's classic translation, reaches across the centuries to invite readers to witness for themselves the horrors and wonders of the initial, apocalyptic clash between two great civilizations.
The present book was edited by Genaro Garcia from an exact copy of the original manuscript of Diaz True History of the Conquest of New Spain, an account of the author's campaigns in Mexico and other countries. Extracts from Garcias's long introduction are printed in this volume, together with the commentary and notes of the translator, A. P. Maudslay. Irving A. Leonard, Professor of Spanish-American History and Literature, University of Michigan, has supplied an introduction to this new American edition, and there is an itinerary, note on the spelling and index. The design and illustrations are the work of Marshall Lee.« less