Indian Conquistadors: Indigenous Allies in the Conquest of Mesoamerica

by Laura E. Matthew (Editor)

The conquest of the New World would hardly have been possible if the invading Spaniards had not allied themselves with the indigenous population. This book takes into account the role of native peoples as active agents in the Conquest through a review of new sources and more careful analysis of known but under-studied materials that demonstrate the overwhelming importance of native allies in both conquest and colonial control. In Indian Conquistadors , leading scholars offer the most comprehensive look to date at native participation in the conquest of Mesoamerica. The contributors examine pictorial, archaeological, and documentary evidence spanning three centuries, including little-known eyewitness accounts from both Spanish and native documents, paintings (lienzos) and maps (mapas) from the colonial period, and a new assessment of imperialism in the region before the Spanish arrival. This new research shows that the Tlaxcalans, the most famous allies of the Spanish, were far from alone. Not only did native lords throughout Mesoamerica supply arms, troops, and tactical guidance, but tens of thousands of warriors—Nahuas, Mixtecs, Zapotecs, Mayas, and others—spread throughout the region to participate with the Spanish in a common cause. By offering a more balanced account of this dramatic period, this book calls into question traditional narratives that emphasize indigenous peoples’ roles as auxiliaries rather than as conquistadors in their own right. Enhanced with twelve maps and more than forty illustrations, Indian Conquistadors opens a vital new line of research and challenges our understanding of this important era.

Genres: History

368 pages, Hardcover

First published November 15, 2007

About the author

Laura Matthew is a historian of southern Mesoamerica and Central America, especially Guatemala, under Spanish colonial rule. She is interested in how people recreate community, identity, and attachment to place after long migrations and/or in radically changed circumstances.

Reviews

[Luke DL Monahan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Collection of essays found within this book range in quality from good to excellent. For me, there were Four reviews stood out as excellent and they are; 'Whose Conquest?' by Laura E. Matthew, 'Concubines and Wives' by Robinson A. Herrara, 'Conquest, Coercion, and Collaboration' by Ida Altman, and 'By the Force of their Lives and the spilling of Blood' by Bret Blosser. It is within these chapters the book shows its worth. These chapters in conjunction with the well-written introduction and conclusion prevented the book from being a dry historical textbook.
It is great to see a history that displays the agency of the indigenous peoples of Central and South America, but the declaration of their agency also demonstrates that the brutal subjection of Central and South America is dependant upon the indigenous themselves. This left me with a dichotomous feeling that the indigenous peoples are depending on the time both victims and perpetrators of Spanish colonialism.