Sad Night: The Story of an Aztec Victory and a Spanish Loss

by Sally Schofer Mathews

"This sensitive treatment of La Noche Triste, or The Sad Night, the last battle the Aztecs won against the Spaniards, is a highly effective melding of graceful, lucid text and stylized art. Designed to resemble Aztec codices, the illustrations appear in double-page strips above the bordered text. Beginning with the Aztec migration to Tenochtitlán (now Mexico City), the history of this people is traced through their final conquest by Cortés's forces. . . . This title has the distinction of combining myth with historical fact in a particularly successful manner. An engaging introduction to Mexican history."—School Library Journal

Genres: History, Picture Books, Nonfiction

Library Binding

First published April 18, 1994

About the author

Sally Schofer Mathews received a master's degree in art education from the University of South Florida. She did her master's degree study in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and returned there to begin work on The Sad Night, her first book for Clarion.

Reviews

[Ebookwormy1 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Engaging illustrations and factual story telling teach kids about the back and forth nature of the conflict between the Spanish and the Aztecs. The text is very discreet about Aztec practices (such as human sacrifice), and while it accurately accounts that many native tribes assisted the Spanish because they were unhappy with Aztec rule, it limits their discontent to "heavy tribute" without specifying that tribute was paid in both money and lives for sacrifice.

This discretion makes it more appropriate for younger children, but somewhat incomplete for older children who are more ready to begin to wrestle with the tremendous cultural clash that took place when the Europeans entered the New World.

Not an essential, but a welcome library check-out, or, budget allowing, used book purchase.

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a strange subtitle. Since Cortes does eventually defeat the Aztecs, and they mention that in the book. But this story is focused on that one fateful night, and the Aztecs won that battle.

I read this alongside Kimmel's Montezuma and the Fall of the Aztecs and my son's recounting of the story from his Latino Studies class. None of these stories are the same. There are so many viewpoints involved and so much cultural literacy to learn.

I appreciate that this book has illustrations in the style of Aztec art. It also gives background to the story of the Aztecs coming to Tenochtitlan, and the reason for the eagle on the Mexican flag. The story is told mostly from the Aztec point of view, and it ends discovering Aztec gold in modern-day Mexico City. There is a section at the back called "More about the Aztecs and Cortes" which fills out the history, but there is no bibliography.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing story!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Sad Night" is the true story of the rise of the Aztec people, the arrival of the person they thought was their feathered serpent-god Quetzacoatl (Hernan Cortes) and the first battle between the Aztecs and the Spanish conquistadors led by Cortes, which ended in the death of many Aztecs and Spanish alike. It was a victory for the Aztecs, but it was short-lived as Cortes came back with a bigger army, which crushed the Aztecs, destroyed their capital and replaced it with the city that eventually became Mexico City. I thought it was really well done with great illustrations taken from the Aztec codices that the conquistadors didn't destroy.

[Josette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Account of the conquest of the Aztec leader Atahualpa by the Spanish conquistador Cortes.

[Charity · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable, well-illustrated story about the founding of Mexico City and the Aztecs' last victory over Spain.