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angus_mckeogh's review against another edition
4.0
Flabbergasting stuff. A first-hand account of Cortes’s expedition into Mexico where he defeated the Aztecs. Lots of information about the spread of European disease into the New World. The European’s enforcement of the Christianization of the New World by the tip of a sword, the rape of the native population, and the end of a musket. The exposure of the European belief that they were on a divine mission (oh, and to collect as much gold and loot as possible, even if that means stealing or robbing). Diaz talks a lot about the European’s perfidy when it comes to cajoling the natives. The real story of the colonization of the New World.
And that’s not to say the Aztecs are all rainbows and unicorns. You get the story about their infighting and betrayal that ultimately leads to their defeat. You get a glimpse of their empire of slavery and you see the caged slaves in every town the Spaniards visit. You get descriptions of Aztec human sacrifice at the pinnacle of their temples, where they opened the chests of those being sacrificed and pulled out their still beating hearts. If those being sacrificed were natives, the beheaded body would be booted down the temple steps, and if they were Spanish soldiers, the natives would flay and dismember the body before eating and/or displaying it.
You meet Cortes. You meet Montezuma. You see the City of Mexico and its intricate network of canals. You witness exploration, battles, and political intrigue involving the trading of family members and intermarriages. A fascinating read.
And that’s not to say the Aztecs are all rainbows and unicorns. You get the story about their infighting and betrayal that ultimately leads to their defeat. You get a glimpse of their empire of slavery and you see the caged slaves in every town the Spaniards visit. You get descriptions of Aztec human sacrifice at the pinnacle of their temples, where they opened the chests of those being sacrificed and pulled out their still beating hearts. If those being sacrificed were natives, the beheaded body would be booted down the temple steps, and if they were Spanish soldiers, the natives would flay and dismember the body before eating and/or displaying it.
You meet Cortes. You meet Montezuma. You see the City of Mexico and its intricate network of canals. You witness exploration, battles, and political intrigue involving the trading of family members and intermarriages. A fascinating read.
solaireastora's review against another edition
4.0
Bernal Diaz was one of the original Conquistadors, participating in the first two exploratory missions to Mexico and then the famous adventure of Hernando Cortes. The bravery and audacity of the Spaniards amazed me, as they marched right into the heart of the Aztec Empire, kidnapped its king, and eventually took the capital city of Tenochtitlan after a long and arduous siege. A price was certainly paid, and the Spanish suffered many casualties, especially during their original expulsion from Tenochtitlan. However, the Aztecs were overcome by the technical superiority of the Spaniards, the revolt of many of their subject states (notably Tlaxcala, without the support of which the Spanish would have been slaughtered) and, disease.
Diaz makes much of the Spaniards attempts to convert the natives to Christianity, and of the intense faith of the Conquistadors. For example, just after 3 massive battles, when many of the Spanish have been wounded and they must be short of ammunition, medical supplies, gunpowder, etc. Cortes sends a message back to the settlement asking for more communion wine and wafers, of all things! The evangelization attempts are rather sad and clumsy, and I am unsure of how much it actually served as a motive for the Spanish conquest. The other motive would be, of course, gold. The Aztecs were wealthy, and the Spanish robbed them blind. As Diaz himself says, “we went there to serve God, and also to get rich.”
The Penguin edition I have of this book comes with useful maps, a good introduction and it summarizes many of the unnecessary or repetitive parts of the narrative, making the book a quicker read and more enjoyable. I am very glad I read this book, as it was interesting and an amazing story.
Diaz makes much of the Spaniards attempts to convert the natives to Christianity, and of the intense faith of the Conquistadors. For example, just after 3 massive battles, when many of the Spanish have been wounded and they must be short of ammunition, medical supplies, gunpowder, etc. Cortes sends a message back to the settlement asking for more communion wine and wafers, of all things! The evangelization attempts are rather sad and clumsy, and I am unsure of how much it actually served as a motive for the Spanish conquest. The other motive would be, of course, gold. The Aztecs were wealthy, and the Spanish robbed them blind. As Diaz himself says, “we went there to serve God, and also to get rich.”
The Penguin edition I have of this book comes with useful maps, a good introduction and it summarizes many of the unnecessary or repetitive parts of the narrative, making the book a quicker read and more enjoyable. I am very glad I read this book, as it was interesting and an amazing story.
araym007's review against another edition
4.0
Great record, but must be read with Nahua accounts like Broken Spears.
keerat123's review against another edition
3.5
Had to read this book for a class. I liked how the prose was direct and not flowery. He repeated phrases a lot which I found helpful in understanding. Sometimes it was frustrating because we knew Díaz was misrepresenting reality but we did not know exactly how. Some of the bad things about the Conquistadors were unexpectedly easy to see, but that was probably because Díaz probably did not consider them morally reprehensible, and hid or minimized the things he did, I think because in the end, he had to find a way to live with himself and his life. I wish we had a chronological memoir like this from the perspective of the Aztecs but oh well. It was nice to read some historical experiences. This book is useful in determining our history for sure, but we will probably always only really know this side of the story.
stormblessed4's review against another edition
Right book, wrong time. I'll definitely get back to it eventually.
aphonusbalonus's review against another edition
Not rating this because colonization boooo but this is a pretty good translation
felipaodeanda's review against another edition
5.0
Extraordinaria crónica sobre la conquista de México. Sumamente interesante y con información de primera mano, podemos saber las costumbres que tenían los indígenas y españoles y las motivaciones que tenían para actuar como lo hicieron. A veces la lectura es algo pesada puesto que el libro está escrito en español antiguo, sin embargo considero que debe ser lectura obligada para cualquier mexicano. Lo disfrute muchísimo.