A review by manish25
When Montezuma Met Cortés: The True Story of the Meeting That Changed History by Matthew Restall

adventurous dark informative sad fast-paced

4.5

Going into When Montezuma Met Cortés, I expected a straightforward historical account of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire—Tenochtitlan, modern-day Mexico City, and all the dramatic clashes between European conquistadors and Indigenous civilizations. What I got instead was something far more layered, unsettling, and thought-provoking.

Matthew Restall doesn’t just recount events; he dissects them. This book is much more concerned with the how and why behind the story we think we know. Restall dives deep into the social dynamics, the conflicting narratives from various sources, and the brutal atrocities and genocides that too often get glossed over in traditional retellings. It's a powerful challenge to the myth of heroic conquest and exposes just how much of the accepted history is based on post-conquest storytelling and Spanish propaganda.

Despite not being the military narrative I anticipated, this colossal work of research quickly became one of my top reads of the year. I quite literally couldn’t put it down—I devoured it in a single day. It was that compelling. Restall's writing is accessible but rich, and the insights kept coming page after page.

As someone who usually gravitates toward the British and Dutch colonial empires, this book completely redirected my interest. I now feel pulled to explore the Spanish Empire more deeply, and that shift alone says a lot about the impact this book had on me.

I’m giving it 4 stars instead of 5 only because the narrow focus might leave readers hoping for a broader overview of the conquest a little surprised. But make no mistake—this is essential reading if you're ready to challenge your assumptions about one of the most pivotal events in world history.