What do you think?
Rate this book
Conquistadors
The Spanish conquest of the Americas in the sixteenth century was one of the most cataclysmic events in history. Spanish expeditions had to endure the most unbelievable hardships to open up the lands of the New World. Few stories, if any, in history match these for sheer drama, endurance and distances covered. In Conquistadors Michael Wood travels in the footsteps of some of the greatest of the Spanish adventurers from Amazonia to Lake Titicaca, and from the deserts of North Mexico to the heights of Macchu Picchu. He experiences first hand the reality of epic journeys, such as those made by Hernan Cortes, and Francisco and Gonzalo Pizarro, and explores the turbulent and terrifying events surrounding the Spanish conquest of the Aztec and Inca empires, as well as Orellanas extraordinary voyage of discovery down the Amazon and Cabeza de Vacas journey across America to the Pacific. In Peru, as in Mexico, the conquistadors swept away the indigenous states, subjugating the native people, destroying their religion and culture. As well as bringing history alive with evocative text and stunning pictures, Michael Wood grapples with the moral legacy of the European invasion. The stories in this book are not only of conquest, heroism and greed, but of changes in the way we see the world in our view of history and civilization, justice and human rights.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
106 people are currently reading
740 people want to read
About the author
Michael Wood
234 books343 followersLibrarian Note: There's more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Michael David Wood is an English historian & broadcaster. He's presented numerous tv documentary series. Library of Congress lists him as Michael Wood.
Wood was born in Moston, Manchester, & educated at Manchester Grammar School & Oriel College, Oxford. His special interest was Anglo-Saxon history. In the 70s Wood worked for the BBC in Manchester. He was 1st a reporter, then an assistant producer on current affairs programmes, before returning to his love of history with his 1981 series In Search of the Dark Ages for BBC2. This explored the lives of leaders of the period, including Boadicea, King Arthur, Offa, Alfred the Great, Athelstan, Eric Bloodaxe & William the Conquerer (& gave rise to his 1st book, based upon the series).
Michael David Wood is an English historian & broadcaster. He's presented numerous tv documentary series. Library of Congress lists him as Michael Wood.
Wood was born in Moston, Manchester, & educated at Manchester Grammar School & Oriel College, Oxford. His special interest was Anglo-Saxon history. In the 70s Wood worked for the BBC in Manchester. He was 1st a reporter, then an assistant producer on current affairs programmes, before returning to his love of history with his 1981 series In Search of the Dark Ages for BBC2. This explored the lives of leaders of the period, including Boadicea, King Arthur, Offa, Alfred the Great, Athelstan, Eric Bloodaxe & William the Conquerer (& gave rise to his 1st book, based upon the series).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
March 12, 2014
I'm pretty willing to pick up any of the books Michael Wood has written. They're obviously more popular history than anything, pitched at BBC documentary level, but that is the level of knowledge I have for a lot of historical subjects. Conquistadors is in the usual format familiar from Wood's book on Alexander: he retraces the steps of the conquistadors, in some cases clarifying their routes where they weren't completely known before.
This is a period of history that's not entirely new to me, but pretty nearly -- we were taught a bit about the Aztecs and Cortes back in primary school, but that was about the extent of it. Wood evokes all this pretty clearly, though some colour photographs may have helped -- my edition only has a small section of black and white ones. He uses sources from both sides of the conflict, and I think he kept a balance reasonably well. He obviously admired some of the conquistadors, but he kept in mind that even those of a more exploratory bent still thought and acted as conquistadors, save perhaps Cabeza de Vaca.
I think it interesting that one review complains of a completely one-sided view of the conquistadors "ethnically cleansing" the lands they conquered, while another complains about the British self-loathing. I think actually, there's a pretty good balance between the two: Wood rightfully points out the excesses of the Spanish, but he also explains some of their reactions and doesn't gloss over the issues of human sacrifice, etc.
This is a period of history that's not entirely new to me, but pretty nearly -- we were taught a bit about the Aztecs and Cortes back in primary school, but that was about the extent of it. Wood evokes all this pretty clearly, though some colour photographs may have helped -- my edition only has a small section of black and white ones. He uses sources from both sides of the conflict, and I think he kept a balance reasonably well. He obviously admired some of the conquistadors, but he kept in mind that even those of a more exploratory bent still thought and acted as conquistadors, save perhaps Cabeza de Vaca.
I think it interesting that one review complains of a completely one-sided view of the conquistadors "ethnically cleansing" the lands they conquered, while another complains about the British self-loathing. I think actually, there's a pretty good balance between the two: Wood rightfully points out the excesses of the Spanish, but he also explains some of their reactions and doesn't gloss over the issues of human sacrifice, etc.
August 22, 2020
This is a great book if you want to read about how Spain conquered Mexico and Peru with just a few hundred men. It’s an easy read and also contains accounts from those who were there at the time. The author made a BBC series about the Conquistadors which I never saw when it was originally shown. I'm now hoping that it will be aired again on BBC iPlayer soon so I can watch it.
The cruelty and greed of the Spaniards are awful. They didn’t deserve to succeed but luck was on their side. They brought smallpox with them which devastated the inhabitants. In Mexico, the Conquistadors met limited resistance. The Aztecs were fatalistic believing a prophecy was being fulfilled, and the cruelty which they themselves had inflicted on other tribes in Mexico gave the Spanish a large army of supporters willing to side with them to overthrow the Aztec empire. The Incas were weakened by civil war and made the mistake of initially welcoming the Conquistadors. By the time they realised the Conquistadors' true intentions, it was too late. The details about the impressive Aztec and Inca cultures as well as how the author himself followed the journeys of the Spaniards make for an enjoyable read. If you’re like me, the book will make you want to go visit some of the sites.
The author finishes with a review of the ethics of the conquests. Yes, the Aztecs were fans of human sacrifice and the Incas would murder many people when a leader died to accompany him into the next world but what right did the Spanish have to steal their wealth, take away their lands and oppress them? Something which other European powers such as Britain and France would also do in other parts of the world and as would America as it expanded westward. I was surprised to read that for a while the Spanish King ordered a halt to further colonisation while these issues were debated, but even though his Council sided with the advocate who decried what had been done, it changed nothing on the ground and territorial expansion resumed. The legacy of what happened then continues today. The original inhabitants of Mexico and Peru generally remain the poorest section of society, reflecting the effects of colonisation elsewhere.
The cruelty and greed of the Spaniards are awful. They didn’t deserve to succeed but luck was on their side. They brought smallpox with them which devastated the inhabitants. In Mexico, the Conquistadors met limited resistance. The Aztecs were fatalistic believing a prophecy was being fulfilled, and the cruelty which they themselves had inflicted on other tribes in Mexico gave the Spanish a large army of supporters willing to side with them to overthrow the Aztec empire. The Incas were weakened by civil war and made the mistake of initially welcoming the Conquistadors. By the time they realised the Conquistadors' true intentions, it was too late. The details about the impressive Aztec and Inca cultures as well as how the author himself followed the journeys of the Spaniards make for an enjoyable read. If you’re like me, the book will make you want to go visit some of the sites.
The author finishes with a review of the ethics of the conquests. Yes, the Aztecs were fans of human sacrifice and the Incas would murder many people when a leader died to accompany him into the next world but what right did the Spanish have to steal their wealth, take away their lands and oppress them? Something which other European powers such as Britain and France would also do in other parts of the world and as would America as it expanded westward. I was surprised to read that for a while the Spanish King ordered a halt to further colonisation while these issues were debated, but even though his Council sided with the advocate who decried what had been done, it changed nothing on the ground and territorial expansion resumed. The legacy of what happened then continues today. The original inhabitants of Mexico and Peru generally remain the poorest section of society, reflecting the effects of colonisation elsewhere.
June 1, 2021
May 29, 230pm ~~ Review asap.
June 1, 830am ~~ After I read his excellent book In The Footsteps Of Alexander The Great, I ordered a few other Michael Wood titles. In Search Of The Trojan War captured my attention first, then I took a fiction break to dive into a few John Steinbeck selections before I felt ready for this trek with Mr. Wood, because I generally avoid the painful history of Spain forcing itself upon the New World.
This is not a normal sized book, and I needed to be sure there was room on the one bookcase shelf left with room for larger than life volumes. So I figured I needed to read it sooner rather than later, before that space was filled up.
It was while I was reading the final chapter of the first section of the book (this part speaks of Mexico) that I realized that completely accidentally I had chosen to read this book during the 500th anniversary of the tragedy known as The Conquest.
In school we were taught that the Spaniards brought civilization to the New World. Piffle. What they brought was disease, limitless greed, unimaginable cruelty, corruption, arrogance, and a deep down fear of the people they found here. Reading anything on this subject makes me angry, disgusted, and totally ashamed to think that humans could treat each other the way the Europeans treated the natives of the New World. And so many of the same attitudes continue today, don't they. It is pathetic to think that in 500 years we have barely improved the level of our own humanity.
Well, to keep this review from being simply a rant, here are the basics of the book. Prologue, six sections, and an epilogue. We visit Mexico in section one. Part two, titled The War Of The Worlds, explores the idea of two very different mindsets meeting and the awful consequences of such a thing happening without mutual compassion and understanding. In part three we move to Peru and witness the destruction of the Incas. Part four we learn how the Incas tried to turn the tables on the conquistadors. Part five takes us down the Amazon river with Francisco Orellana, then in part six we return much further north and walk with Cabeza De Vaca, who seems to have been one of the few conquistadors to see the native people as actual people. At least for a time. When he needed them to save his life.
There are many parts of this book I would love to quote but we would be here all day if I did that. Two statements by Wood struck me the most, even above the quotes in the book of texts written by both sides of the conflict. One is where he says that in history timing is everything. If the Spaniards had arrived earlier or later we might be living now in one of the alternate realities that some fiction writers like to speculate about. But timing is not the only factor that would have changed events. Imagine if that damned arrogance of a so-called civilized society forcing itself onto a supposedly less civilized society had been replaced with acceptance and understanding right from the first. What if there had been a Star Trek type of Prime Directive back then? Live and let live and all that. Instead, as Wood says in the other statement that rings so true: "We are still living with the consequences" (of the conquest).
I lived in Tlaxcala Mexico for eight years. I have seen first hand the lingering results of this world changing event. There is no turning back the clock, no way to erase the errors made by so many, no way to change the mindset that has such deep roots in Mexico's society and government. I do understand that Mexico would not be the country I know and love without the Conquest. But we will never know what the country would have and could have been if it had been allowed to create itself, will we.
This is the saddest aspect for me. The conquistadors did not bring civilization. They did not liberate the people. They enslaved them in ways that the Aztecs never could have imagined. They destroyed. They inflicted deep wounds, emotional scars that are still oozing today and can be traced back to the first steps the Europeans made in North America.
Will Man ever learn? Are we doomed to be nothing better than conquistadors? Blindly sucking the life out of any group of people Other than ourselves? Angry at and afraid of every one around us?
We may never know what we could have been.
June 1, 830am ~~ After I read his excellent book In The Footsteps Of Alexander The Great, I ordered a few other Michael Wood titles. In Search Of The Trojan War captured my attention first, then I took a fiction break to dive into a few John Steinbeck selections before I felt ready for this trek with Mr. Wood, because I generally avoid the painful history of Spain forcing itself upon the New World.
This is not a normal sized book, and I needed to be sure there was room on the one bookcase shelf left with room for larger than life volumes. So I figured I needed to read it sooner rather than later, before that space was filled up.
It was while I was reading the final chapter of the first section of the book (this part speaks of Mexico) that I realized that completely accidentally I had chosen to read this book during the 500th anniversary of the tragedy known as The Conquest.
In school we were taught that the Spaniards brought civilization to the New World. Piffle. What they brought was disease, limitless greed, unimaginable cruelty, corruption, arrogance, and a deep down fear of the people they found here. Reading anything on this subject makes me angry, disgusted, and totally ashamed to think that humans could treat each other the way the Europeans treated the natives of the New World. And so many of the same attitudes continue today, don't they. It is pathetic to think that in 500 years we have barely improved the level of our own humanity.
Well, to keep this review from being simply a rant, here are the basics of the book. Prologue, six sections, and an epilogue. We visit Mexico in section one. Part two, titled The War Of The Worlds, explores the idea of two very different mindsets meeting and the awful consequences of such a thing happening without mutual compassion and understanding. In part three we move to Peru and witness the destruction of the Incas. Part four we learn how the Incas tried to turn the tables on the conquistadors. Part five takes us down the Amazon river with Francisco Orellana, then in part six we return much further north and walk with Cabeza De Vaca, who seems to have been one of the few conquistadors to see the native people as actual people. At least for a time. When he needed them to save his life.
There are many parts of this book I would love to quote but we would be here all day if I did that. Two statements by Wood struck me the most, even above the quotes in the book of texts written by both sides of the conflict. One is where he says that in history timing is everything. If the Spaniards had arrived earlier or later we might be living now in one of the alternate realities that some fiction writers like to speculate about. But timing is not the only factor that would have changed events. Imagine if that damned arrogance of a so-called civilized society forcing itself onto a supposedly less civilized society had been replaced with acceptance and understanding right from the first. What if there had been a Star Trek type of Prime Directive back then? Live and let live and all that. Instead, as Wood says in the other statement that rings so true: "We are still living with the consequences" (of the conquest).
I lived in Tlaxcala Mexico for eight years. I have seen first hand the lingering results of this world changing event. There is no turning back the clock, no way to erase the errors made by so many, no way to change the mindset that has such deep roots in Mexico's society and government. I do understand that Mexico would not be the country I know and love without the Conquest. But we will never know what the country would have and could have been if it had been allowed to create itself, will we.
This is the saddest aspect for me. The conquistadors did not bring civilization. They did not liberate the people. They enslaved them in ways that the Aztecs never could have imagined. They destroyed. They inflicted deep wounds, emotional scars that are still oozing today and can be traced back to the first steps the Europeans made in North America.
Will Man ever learn? Are we doomed to be nothing better than conquistadors? Blindly sucking the life out of any group of people Other than ourselves? Angry at and afraid of every one around us?
We may never know what we could have been.
July 3, 2025
Conquistadors is a well-written history of the Spanish conquest of the Americas, focusing on the journeys of four key figures: Cortés, Pizarro, Orellana, and Cabeza de Vaca. Wood’s approach relates the facts of their expeditions and includes accounts of the brutality and cultural destruction inflicted upon the indigenous civilizations. In addition, it serves as a memoir. The author literally follows in the footsteps of these conquistadors, journeying to Mexico, Peru, Brazil, and the US.
The book is particularly effective in its portrayal of the indigenous perspective, relying on native writings and archaeological evidence to reconstruct pre-conquest societies. I particularly enjoyed the author’s ability to connect past and present through his physical journey along the conquistadors' routes. By experiencing the same landscapes, rivers, and mountain passes, he provides readers with his personal connection to historical events.
Wood offers insights into what happened and why, and when sources disagree, he presents his opinions, based on evidence, of the most likely chain of events. This work will be valuable to both academics and general readers. I have seen several of Michael Wood’s BBC documentaries, including this one, and I always enjoy them. The book takes a similar form. It is a combination of insightful analysis, storytelling, and documentation of the damage done by colonialism.
4.5
The book is particularly effective in its portrayal of the indigenous perspective, relying on native writings and archaeological evidence to reconstruct pre-conquest societies. I particularly enjoyed the author’s ability to connect past and present through his physical journey along the conquistadors' routes. By experiencing the same landscapes, rivers, and mountain passes, he provides readers with his personal connection to historical events.
Wood offers insights into what happened and why, and when sources disagree, he presents his opinions, based on evidence, of the most likely chain of events. This work will be valuable to both academics and general readers. I have seen several of Michael Wood’s BBC documentaries, including this one, and I always enjoy them. The book takes a similar form. It is a combination of insightful analysis, storytelling, and documentation of the damage done by colonialism.
4.5
April 17, 2015
In Conquistadors, as with many of his books, Wood weaves the historical accounts of the protagonists of this period with his own experience retracing their steps. This has the unique quality of adding vivid description of the landscape, corroborating details of the accounts, and showing the degree to which a historical event has either been preserved or suffered decay in the intervening years.
At first I wasn't sure how to feel about this first person interjection throughout the retelling of campaigns, battles, and mass slaughter, but by the end it grew on me, particularly when Wood was able to cite specific evidence he found to confirm one route the Spaniards took over another.
The story of the Spanish Conquistadors, is of course, dramatic, terrifying, and complex in equal measure. Wood had plenty of great material to work with, and delivered it well. My only minor qualms are that he left out some Conquistadors I was keen on learning about, particularly those who "discovered" and settled the American Southwest, and that he tended to jump to superlatives quickly and unnecessarily, knighting one event after another as being "one of the most pivotal in world history." This is not to say that these events weren't monumental or significant, the delivery was just a bit on-the-nose, and perhaps, overstated.
That said, though, I did learn quite a bit in this book, and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the period.
http://joshuarigsby.com
At first I wasn't sure how to feel about this first person interjection throughout the retelling of campaigns, battles, and mass slaughter, but by the end it grew on me, particularly when Wood was able to cite specific evidence he found to confirm one route the Spaniards took over another.
The story of the Spanish Conquistadors, is of course, dramatic, terrifying, and complex in equal measure. Wood had plenty of great material to work with, and delivered it well. My only minor qualms are that he left out some Conquistadors I was keen on learning about, particularly those who "discovered" and settled the American Southwest, and that he tended to jump to superlatives quickly and unnecessarily, knighting one event after another as being "one of the most pivotal in world history." This is not to say that these events weren't monumental or significant, the delivery was just a bit on-the-nose, and perhaps, overstated.
That said, though, I did learn quite a bit in this book, and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the period.
http://joshuarigsby.com
February 21, 2022
Here’s a book that takes a fairly in depth look at the actions of four conquistadors—invaders Cortez, Pizzaro and another Pizzaro, and shipwrecked De Vaca. The accounts are all fascinating, drawing on both Spanish and native sources. The aspect that impressed me the most was Wood’s attempts to show how each group was viewed by the other—a clash of cultures in addition to the military conflicts.
The most interesting account if of De Vaca who, together with three companions, was shipwrecked on what was probably Galveston Island off the coast of Texas. After a period of enslavement, he and his companions journeyed for years across what would eventually become the American Southwest. His writings about the peoples he met and the clear respect he held for them makes him a highly valuable source for modern historians—even if the Spaniards of his time were not interested in what he had to tell them other than as a guide for new people to conquer.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
The most interesting account if of De Vaca who, together with three companions, was shipwrecked on what was probably Galveston Island off the coast of Texas. After a period of enslavement, he and his companions journeyed for years across what would eventually become the American Southwest. His writings about the peoples he met and the clear respect he held for them makes him a highly valuable source for modern historians—even if the Spaniards of his time were not interested in what he had to tell them other than as a guide for new people to conquer.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
June 18, 2019
My husband listens to non fiction books when he goes to bed. This one was pretty interesting!
May 11, 2009
I think I've read all of Michael Wood's books now. His style of writing is a constant throughout. The reader is taken on an expedition, in the footsteps of...'and here even today the place where such and such did whatever'.
In Conquistadors Woody takes us back-packing in the tracks of Cortes into the heart of the Aztec New World. We break camp at dawn to set off in pursuit of Francisco Pizarro's clan, to follow the conquest of the Incas in Peru. We then trek the Andes mountain passes in search of 'El Dorado' with Francisco Orellana, trecking across South America from West to East, sailing down the Amazon to find the South Atlantic Ocean. Finally we are shipwrecked with Cabeza de Vaca in Texas and find his eight year long trail into Mexico and West of the Sierra Madre.
Cabeza de Vaca lived with the native Indians and learned their languages. He even learned to heal the sick and raise the dead and gathered many Indian followers who travelled with him.
As an introduction to the Spanish New World, for me, this book is rich in it's appreciation of the rich South American cultures and native societies at the start of the sixteenth century. My head is spinning and my legs ache after reading this excellent book, where Michael Wood also manages to engage us with the moral legacy of the Conquistadors and asks questions of our views of history, civilization, justice and human rights.
In Conquistadors Woody takes us back-packing in the tracks of Cortes into the heart of the Aztec New World. We break camp at dawn to set off in pursuit of Francisco Pizarro's clan, to follow the conquest of the Incas in Peru. We then trek the Andes mountain passes in search of 'El Dorado' with Francisco Orellana, trecking across South America from West to East, sailing down the Amazon to find the South Atlantic Ocean. Finally we are shipwrecked with Cabeza de Vaca in Texas and find his eight year long trail into Mexico and West of the Sierra Madre.
Cabeza de Vaca lived with the native Indians and learned their languages. He even learned to heal the sick and raise the dead and gathered many Indian followers who travelled with him.
As an introduction to the Spanish New World, for me, this book is rich in it's appreciation of the rich South American cultures and native societies at the start of the sixteenth century. My head is spinning and my legs ache after reading this excellent book, where Michael Wood also manages to engage us with the moral legacy of the Conquistadors and asks questions of our views of history, civilization, justice and human rights.
November 22, 2014
I suspect what I was taught about South American history at school could be written in a couple of pages and, as for the tremendous importance of the Spanish seizure and colonialization of most of the continent, it scarcely warranted a mention. After all, we were British, and had much to be taught about the superiority of the Englishman and his benign ownership and administration of the world that really mattered between the start of the 18th century and the middle of the 20th. No time for all that dago stuff.
So Conquistadors filled a huge gap in my knowledge of the Spanish adventures into that part of the world and the devastation it wreaked on the civilizations and people that inhabited it. For that reason alone I am happy that I picked up this old paperback that I think a guest had left at the house.
Michael Wood gives us an easy read, and while I wasn't totally enamoured with his style, that really didn't matter too much as it was the content I was after. It reads a bit like a TV program which is hardly surprising as it was written to accompany a BBC series with the same name aired about 15 years ago.
If it did nothing else for me, at least Conquistadors has piqued my interest in the broader subject of pre-Columbian history and of the period of the Spanish empire; and prompted me to seek more material to expand my knowledge of the subject. For that, a big 'thank you' to Michael Wood
So Conquistadors filled a huge gap in my knowledge of the Spanish adventures into that part of the world and the devastation it wreaked on the civilizations and people that inhabited it. For that reason alone I am happy that I picked up this old paperback that I think a guest had left at the house.
Michael Wood gives us an easy read, and while I wasn't totally enamoured with his style, that really didn't matter too much as it was the content I was after. It reads a bit like a TV program which is hardly surprising as it was written to accompany a BBC series with the same name aired about 15 years ago.
If it did nothing else for me, at least Conquistadors has piqued my interest in the broader subject of pre-Columbian history and of the period of the Spanish empire; and prompted me to seek more material to expand my knowledge of the subject. For that, a big 'thank you' to Michael Wood
January 27, 2016
What we are taught in school about the conquest and settlement of the New World only scratches the surface of what really happened. I enjoy history and consider myself fairly well educated. Michael Wood shows us that we still have a lot to learn. Of course we have all heard the story of Atahualpa and Pizarro, but what we find in this book is the part that we weren't taught.
Quite eye opening.
Excellent book. The author has done a fantastic job of putting us right there in the middle of the action.
Quite eye opening.
Excellent book. The author has done a fantastic job of putting us right there in the middle of the action.
August 22, 2021
Superb 'in the footsteps of' work. The resilience, determination and almost at times 'superhuman' feats of endurance that the Conquistadors exhibited is overshadowed by the incredible savagery, brutality and duplicity most of them demonstrated against the Native Amerian civilisations they encountered. The whole barbaric and greed fuelled immoral enterprise of European colonialism is manifest in the behaviour and attitudes of the Spanish conquerers. The deliberate genocidal impact of their actions is impossible to ignore or gloss over. The 'Colombian exchange' was a very unfair lopsided phenomenon. Europeans acquire so much material wealth and biological diversity; American peoples get killed, marginalized and enslaved. Wood's account of the journey and encounters of Carbeza de Vaca is the only solace in this sad tale. A Spaniard shipwrecked along coast of what is now known as Florida ends up living with indigenous peoples, learning several of the various local languages, adopting the lifestyle of his hosts, and seems like one of the few early Spanish colonists to garner any insight and envince any respect and compassion for the original inhabitants of America. Indeed, he pays for his views and his sympathies by being ostracised and 'framed' by his countrymen; and eventually although cleared of any wrongdoing ends up dying poor back in his native country.
Wood chooses to end his book on a very poignant note quoting the deathbed missive of one of the despoilers of the great Peruvian civilisation ruled by the Incas.
On his death-bed in Cuzco on September 18, 1589, at the age of 78, Mancio Sierra de Leguízamo addressed this remarkable testament to King Philip II:
"For the peace of my soul and before I start this will, I declare that for many years now I have desired to speak to the Catholic majesty of King Philip our lord, knowing how Catholic and most Christian he is, because I took part in the name of the Crown in the discovery, conquest and settlement of these kingdoms when we deprived those who were the lords, the Incas, who had ruled them as their own. And it should be known to His Most Catholic Majesty that we found those realms in such good order that there was not a thief or a vicious man, nor an adulteress, nor were there fallen women admitted among them, nor were they an immoral people, being content and honest in their labor. All things from the smallest to the greatest had their place and order. And that the Incas were feared obeyed and respected by their subjects as being very capable and skillful in their rule, as were their governors.
I wish your majesty to understand the motive that moves me to make this statement is the peace of my conscience and because of the guilt I share. For we have destroyed by our evil behaviour such a government as was enjoyed by these natives. They were so free of crime and greed, both men and women, that they could leave gold or silver worth a hundred thousand pesos in their open house. So that when they discovered that we were thieves and men who sought to force their wives and daughters to commit sin with them, they despised us. But now things have come to such a pass in offence of God, owing to the bad example we have set them in all things, that these natives from doing no evil have turned into people who can do no good, something which must touch your Majesty¯s conscience as it does mine, as one of the first conquistadors and discoverers, and something that demands to be remedied."
I inform your Majesty that there is no more I can do to alleviate these injustices other than by my words, in which I beg God to pardon me, for I am moved to say this, seeing that I am the last to die of the conquistadors."
Wood chooses to end his book on a very poignant note quoting the deathbed missive of one of the despoilers of the great Peruvian civilisation ruled by the Incas.
On his death-bed in Cuzco on September 18, 1589, at the age of 78, Mancio Sierra de Leguízamo addressed this remarkable testament to King Philip II:
"For the peace of my soul and before I start this will, I declare that for many years now I have desired to speak to the Catholic majesty of King Philip our lord, knowing how Catholic and most Christian he is, because I took part in the name of the Crown in the discovery, conquest and settlement of these kingdoms when we deprived those who were the lords, the Incas, who had ruled them as their own. And it should be known to His Most Catholic Majesty that we found those realms in such good order that there was not a thief or a vicious man, nor an adulteress, nor were there fallen women admitted among them, nor were they an immoral people, being content and honest in their labor. All things from the smallest to the greatest had their place and order. And that the Incas were feared obeyed and respected by their subjects as being very capable and skillful in their rule, as were their governors.
I wish your majesty to understand the motive that moves me to make this statement is the peace of my conscience and because of the guilt I share. For we have destroyed by our evil behaviour such a government as was enjoyed by these natives. They were so free of crime and greed, both men and women, that they could leave gold or silver worth a hundred thousand pesos in their open house. So that when they discovered that we were thieves and men who sought to force their wives and daughters to commit sin with them, they despised us. But now things have come to such a pass in offence of God, owing to the bad example we have set them in all things, that these natives from doing no evil have turned into people who can do no good, something which must touch your Majesty¯s conscience as it does mine, as one of the first conquistadors and discoverers, and something that demands to be remedied."
I inform your Majesty that there is no more I can do to alleviate these injustices other than by my words, in which I beg God to pardon me, for I am moved to say this, seeing that I am the last to die of the conquistadors."
March 2, 2024
Easy to read; well-written, with good basic information. Would love to see the BBC series to 'see' the ruins and sites discussed in the text, but unfortunately can't find it online. Six proper nicely-illustrated chapters cover: Cortes and Montezuma, the War of the Worlds (Cortes et. al.), The Conquest of the Incas, The Great War of the Incas, El Dorado: The Journey of Francisco Orellana, and the Adventure of Cabeza de Vada. Also a good index, excellent pictures, and a good 'further reading' list with explanatory text ("broad-sweeping", "useful anthology", etc.).
An excellent way to interest a student in Meso-American history; had I had this book handed to me during my teens, I could have ended up focusing on this part of the world (instead of China and Southeast China, my primary focus...but the overlap with the Spanish explorers in the Pacific has led to this expansion of interests into Meso-America--a pleasant surprise), my only other experience with this part of the world being a summer spent in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands.
I particularly enjoyed the links Wood makes between original manuscripts and his visits to the historic sites (examples: "The great square where the drama happened is still there...." p. 129, and "Today the junction is a quiet place," p. 249). I've made notes of some of them ... and who knows, perhaps one day?
An excellent way to interest a student in Meso-American history; had I had this book handed to me during my teens, I could have ended up focusing on this part of the world (instead of China and Southeast China, my primary focus...but the overlap with the Spanish explorers in the Pacific has led to this expansion of interests into Meso-America--a pleasant surprise), my only other experience with this part of the world being a summer spent in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands.
I particularly enjoyed the links Wood makes between original manuscripts and his visits to the historic sites (examples: "The great square where the drama happened is still there...." p. 129, and "Today the junction is a quiet place," p. 249). I've made notes of some of them ... and who knows, perhaps one day?
February 7, 2025
In this book (accompanying the TV documentary), Michael Wood follows the footsteps and exploits of Cortes, Pizarro, Orellana and Cabeza de Vaca. Of him I have never heard before, and that makes him all the more interesting (former three are rather well-known). Wood being my favourite 'TV historian', and me loving everything concerning the Indians, getting this was a matter of 'of course'.
All in all, it's a thrilling but ultimately very sad tale of the conquest of the Americas, with a lot of citations of letters and accounts of witnesses of fall of Aztecs and Incas, quest for El Dorado and trek from Texas coast to the Pacific.
Having read Wood's account of those historic events (learning long ago much about them through comics, history books and different documentaries and getting utterly fascinated), I suddenly remembered the quote that I think perfectly summarizes what Spaniards did in the Americas - Ollivander's words about Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
"After all, He Who Must Not Be Named did great things - terrible, yes, but great."
All in all, it's a thrilling but ultimately very sad tale of the conquest of the Americas, with a lot of citations of letters and accounts of witnesses of fall of Aztecs and Incas, quest for El Dorado and trek from Texas coast to the Pacific.
Having read Wood's account of those historic events (learning long ago much about them through comics, history books and different documentaries and getting utterly fascinated), I suddenly remembered the quote that I think perfectly summarizes what Spaniards did in the Americas - Ollivander's words about Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
"After all, He Who Must Not Be Named did great things - terrible, yes, but great."
February 21, 2019
At one point the author muses:
"It is a pleasing fantasy to imagine the Aztec state continuing into the nineteenth century, moderating its views on human sacrifice as the values of the Enlightenment percolated into their culture...surviving as a beautiful archaic polity like the Ching or the Meiji Empires..."
This kind of elegant speculation is an example of why I enjoyed this book, even though the material was mostly very familiar to me. It also made me think again of the remarkable achievement of the Conquistadors, when one remembers that the technological gap between them and their adversaries was so much smaller than that between, for example, the British and most of the peoples we subsumed into our Empire. That achievement was both remarkable and horrifying, as this fair minded and thought provoking book shows. The death bed confessions of Cabeza de Vaca, the "last conquistador", were not familiar to me, and were all the more powerful for that.
"It is a pleasing fantasy to imagine the Aztec state continuing into the nineteenth century, moderating its views on human sacrifice as the values of the Enlightenment percolated into their culture...surviving as a beautiful archaic polity like the Ching or the Meiji Empires..."
This kind of elegant speculation is an example of why I enjoyed this book, even though the material was mostly very familiar to me. It also made me think again of the remarkable achievement of the Conquistadors, when one remembers that the technological gap between them and their adversaries was so much smaller than that between, for example, the British and most of the peoples we subsumed into our Empire. That achievement was both remarkable and horrifying, as this fair minded and thought provoking book shows. The death bed confessions of Cabeza de Vaca, the "last conquistador", were not familiar to me, and were all the more powerful for that.
November 13, 2021
The book was eye opening for me. I knew about the conquistadors but the details presented in this book made me think how our current world map might’ve different if not for those events in the 16 century. Fiction stories feel bleak after learning more about our own history
December 2, 2021
Super interesting history of one of the most brutal and bloodsoaked eras in world history.
March 11, 2024
Very enlightening. Not condescending either. Although they did consider these conquistadors as heros, but then again they did something extraordinary.
August 25, 2024
Brilliant summaries of the main Spanish conquests. Very easy to read, but also just depressing.
May 27, 2021
A mix of history and travelogue and perhaps needed to decide which it was going to be
September 26, 2015
This was quite an interesting book on an important subject. I'd not read much about the conquest since high school, so this book added another layer to my understanding. The text is nicely augmented with photos of the landscapes and artifacts, as well as historical paintings of the subjects. Structurally, I surprised that even though the book covered the conquest of the Aztecs by Cortes and the Incas by Pizarro, it included the journeys of Orellana down the Amazon and Cabeza de Vaca across Mexico rather than anything about the Mayans.
Two important ideas stood out to me: 1) The Spanish conquistadors didn't single-handedly conquer the indigenous peoples, as has often been portrayed and mythologized. In fact, Cortes was forced out of Tenochtitlan and almost killed first, before he was later able to conquer the city. But this conquest only happened with the help of thousands or tens of thousands of disaffected indigenous groups who were suppressed by the Aztecs or Incas. Thus, this is not a story so much about European cultural and military superiority as it is a message about the discontents of empire. 2) Around this time, international banking and early capitalism were really kicking into gear. Many of these expeditions were financed and motivated by these international banks, seeing the murder and conquest of indigenous peoples as a terrific opportunity for profit. This shows the complicity of capitalism with the state in early imperialism.
Wood writes movingly about the implications of the conquest, the philosophical questions for both the Europeans and Americans, wrestling with questions of the Other and human rights. He concludes: "The conquest opened up the world, marking the beginnings of a globalization which was not only commercial, but also ideological and philosophical; a remaking of mental horizons no less than a redrawing of physical geography." (p. 267)
Two important ideas stood out to me: 1) The Spanish conquistadors didn't single-handedly conquer the indigenous peoples, as has often been portrayed and mythologized. In fact, Cortes was forced out of Tenochtitlan and almost killed first, before he was later able to conquer the city. But this conquest only happened with the help of thousands or tens of thousands of disaffected indigenous groups who were suppressed by the Aztecs or Incas. Thus, this is not a story so much about European cultural and military superiority as it is a message about the discontents of empire. 2) Around this time, international banking and early capitalism were really kicking into gear. Many of these expeditions were financed and motivated by these international banks, seeing the murder and conquest of indigenous peoples as a terrific opportunity for profit. This shows the complicity of capitalism with the state in early imperialism.
Wood writes movingly about the implications of the conquest, the philosophical questions for both the Europeans and Americans, wrestling with questions of the Other and human rights. He concludes: "The conquest opened up the world, marking the beginnings of a globalization which was not only commercial, but also ideological and philosophical; a remaking of mental horizons no less than a redrawing of physical geography." (p. 267)
November 20, 2017
A well written and superbly illustrated book covering the major Spanish players in the conquering and imposition upon the natives of the American continents. One of the more amazing episodes in world history these fearless men who ruthlessly exploited both the people and the land.
Michael Wood vividly covers the characters and actions on both side that led to the Spanish culture that to this day dominates. It leaves in ones mind what would have become of these conquered people had they not been imposed upon.
Along with the more known conquistadors Cortes and Pizarro we get coverage of probably the lesser known Orellano and Cabeza De Vaca who were more explorers than conquistadors.
Michael Wood vividly covers the characters and actions on both side that led to the Spanish culture that to this day dominates. It leaves in ones mind what would have become of these conquered people had they not been imposed upon.
Along with the more known conquistadors Cortes and Pizarro we get coverage of probably the lesser known Orellano and Cabeza De Vaca who were more explorers than conquistadors.
November 8, 2013
Conquistadors is a detailed account of some of the conquistadors (including Cortes, members of the Pizarro family and Cabeza de Vaca) who conquered the Americas during the 16th century. It is also an account of Michael Wood's journey to follow in their footsteps. Accounts of events by the Spaniards and the natives are given. Wood asserts that the native Americans knew their assailants were humans (not gods), but they were decimated by superior weaponry and infighting. A fascinating and shocking book. It is also available as an audio book.
September 11, 2020
So this is a bit of a primer about the conquest of the New World and I think it makes a good starting point to learn more about this period in history. As someone with limited knowledge of the period it was just right.
December 26, 2022
An exciting book that follows multiple conquistadors on their journey through the new world. The author included numerous texts and stories from the times of conquest.
The book gets a bit repetitive at times, and perhaps a bit dry, but fairly easy to follow and full of interesting accounts.
The book gets a bit repetitive at times, and perhaps a bit dry, but fairly easy to follow and full of interesting accounts.
Read
October 27, 2024Perfect descriptions and explanations of what exactly went down during the initial, large scale journeys into the Americas following Colombus' arrival.
March 3, 2023
My first encounter with Michael Wood and I can see why he is so popular. This book offers a broad, well informed and easy to read overview of the most famous conquistadors. I was familiar with the broad outlines having studied bits of this chapter in history while at university, but this was an enjoyable recap.
My only niggle is that Wood's scope is so vaste that there isn't really room for a fantastic amount of fine detail but that's fair enough in a general introduction, and newcomers to the subject will find all of the big boxes ticked.
I found the treatment of the material evenly handled. It won't come as a shock to many readers that the Conquistadors were often vainglorious, grasping, wily, treacherous, self-serving, and periodically inspired major concerns in their compatriots and companions, let alone their own governments. Historians have sometimes tried to look beyond all the shouting, for telltale signs of the personalities and motivations of Cortez, Pizarro etc al. This isn't the pursuit of some abstract 'white guilt' as another reviewer felt. History is no less than the attempt (however difficult) to answer the deceptively simple questions: what happened, and why? Readers of history should be prepared to have their preconceptions challenged- reality is not often a comforting or inspiring story.
Nonetheless, from a distance of some five hundred years, the scope of action can be looked at with a degree of objectivity. We can admire the quite startling single-mindedness of the conquistadors, their courage and cleverness, even as we deplore their greed and ignorance, cruelty, and their supremely breathtaking indifference to the lives of millions of people, with the parallel cultural Holocaust they initiated and pursued.
If all the material seems to be on discussing the invaders, that reflects the surviving source material (history is written by the victors). Woods does try and refer to native American sources wherever possible- sometimes extensively. And he doesn't gloss over the reality of human sacrifice endemic to the native religions, or the fact that the competing factions in Mexico and Peru could similarly be desperate for power, or act indecisively or from self-interest. Wood notes, in one aside, that the attitude of the Incas towards their 'barbarians' in the Amazon basin, demonstrates that racial prejudice was by no means all on the Spaniard's side!
But the reality is that it was an uneven contest between civilisations thrown together. It was dramatic, cataclysmic, and we are still living with the consequences now. Fascinating, if bracing reading!
My only niggle is that Wood's scope is so vaste that there isn't really room for a fantastic amount of fine detail but that's fair enough in a general introduction, and newcomers to the subject will find all of the big boxes ticked.
I found the treatment of the material evenly handled. It won't come as a shock to many readers that the Conquistadors were often vainglorious, grasping, wily, treacherous, self-serving, and periodically inspired major concerns in their compatriots and companions, let alone their own governments. Historians have sometimes tried to look beyond all the shouting, for telltale signs of the personalities and motivations of Cortez, Pizarro etc al. This isn't the pursuit of some abstract 'white guilt' as another reviewer felt. History is no less than the attempt (however difficult) to answer the deceptively simple questions: what happened, and why? Readers of history should be prepared to have their preconceptions challenged- reality is not often a comforting or inspiring story.
Nonetheless, from a distance of some five hundred years, the scope of action can be looked at with a degree of objectivity. We can admire the quite startling single-mindedness of the conquistadors, their courage and cleverness, even as we deplore their greed and ignorance, cruelty, and their supremely breathtaking indifference to the lives of millions of people, with the parallel cultural Holocaust they initiated and pursued.
If all the material seems to be on discussing the invaders, that reflects the surviving source material (history is written by the victors). Woods does try and refer to native American sources wherever possible- sometimes extensively. And he doesn't gloss over the reality of human sacrifice endemic to the native religions, or the fact that the competing factions in Mexico and Peru could similarly be desperate for power, or act indecisively or from self-interest. Wood notes, in one aside, that the attitude of the Incas towards their 'barbarians' in the Amazon basin, demonstrates that racial prejudice was by no means all on the Spaniard's side!
But the reality is that it was an uneven contest between civilisations thrown together. It was dramatic, cataclysmic, and we are still living with the consequences now. Fascinating, if bracing reading!
May 20, 2019
In his book, Conquistadors, Michael Wood presents the major Spanish expeditions in the Americas to conquer land for their King and to subjugate and convert the local indian populations. The author separates expeditions of Cortes, Pizarro, Orellanas, and more and then actually travels the known routes that they took to provide a modern day look at the landscapes the Conquistadors likely encountered. He details the clash of the warriors of the Aztec and Inca empires that were devastated by the superior technology of the Spanish as well as previously unknown diseases that moved quickly through the native populations. While these civilizations were not exactly peaceful farmers and included human sacrifices, conquering and slaughtering neighboring tribes, as well as enslavement of those defeated. The book covers events from the southern areas of today's US, through Mexico, Central America, and South America and various terrain from coastal areas to jungles, swamps, mountains, etc. It also details much about the culture and customs of the indigenous people before the arrival of the Spanish, how they were subdued and converted to the Catholic faith, and how they were enslaved and put to work providing gold and silver for their masters. It spends a lot of time describing the conditions the Spanish had to survive in their quest to conquer as much of the New World as possible. Many were lost and never returned but some were found to have gone native and became members of some of the tribes. I found the book interesting and loaded with facts about the times of the culture clashes between the Spanish with their horses and dogs and the ancient civilizations of Aztecs and Incas. I learned much about what many refer to as a slaughter of indians by the Spanish but it isn't that simple. In many cases local tribes cooperated and became allies with the Spanish and helped them subdue their neighboring tribes. Interesting read about a violent time!
February 25, 2022
A rather inconsistent history/travelogue of the paths of the conquistadors.
Wood's "Conquistadors" doesn't seem sure of what kind of book it wants to be. In parts, it's a straightforward narrative of the exploits (and exploitations) of Cortes, Pizarro, Orellanas, and Cabeza de Vacas throughout Central/South/North America. In other parts, it tries to be a travelogue where Wood et al. travel the routes of the conquistadors (as modernized and altered as those routes necessarily are 500 years later. Unfortunately, the book's balance is off. For the conquest of the Aztecs and Incas, we get a LOT of history and very little travelogue.
For Orellanas's navigation of the Amazon and Cabeza de Vaca's exploration of the American southwest, we get a lot more travelogue/description of the current geography. While the Aztec/Incas historical chapters are riveting, they are also very rushed (this is a short book, after all). Before you know it, we've moved on to different Spanish explorers and with a different focus (travelogue vs. historical narrative). The shift is jarring, and the book never quite recovers
It feels as if Wood bit off a bit more than he could chew by focusing on too many conquistador expeditions (especially those separated by thousands of miles. A more focused look at any one or two of the major conquistadors would have been more rewarding when paralleled against a modern traveling over the same routes.
As it stands, "Conquistadors" has good writing and strong narrative, but it feels like it tried to do too much in too small a space.
Wood's "Conquistadors" doesn't seem sure of what kind of book it wants to be. In parts, it's a straightforward narrative of the exploits (and exploitations) of Cortes, Pizarro, Orellanas, and Cabeza de Vacas throughout Central/South/North America. In other parts, it tries to be a travelogue where Wood et al. travel the routes of the conquistadors (as modernized and altered as those routes necessarily are 500 years later. Unfortunately, the book's balance is off. For the conquest of the Aztecs and Incas, we get a LOT of history and very little travelogue.
For Orellanas's navigation of the Amazon and Cabeza de Vaca's exploration of the American southwest, we get a lot more travelogue/description of the current geography. While the Aztec/Incas historical chapters are riveting, they are also very rushed (this is a short book, after all). Before you know it, we've moved on to different Spanish explorers and with a different focus (travelogue vs. historical narrative). The shift is jarring, and the book never quite recovers
It feels as if Wood bit off a bit more than he could chew by focusing on too many conquistador expeditions (especially those separated by thousands of miles. A more focused look at any one or two of the major conquistadors would have been more rewarding when paralleled against a modern traveling over the same routes.
As it stands, "Conquistadors" has good writing and strong narrative, but it feels like it tried to do too much in too small a space.
August 28, 2024
This book tells the stories of four conquistadors. Hernán Cortéz and Francisco Pizarro which most people know about, as well as Franscisco de Orellana and Cabeza de Vaca. The first two names most people might remember from the conquests of the Mexica (Aztecs) and the Inca. The second two names have less violent stories and were new to me.
Orellana ended up in charge of a failed expedition that eventually navigated down the Amazon river from the Andes (the expedition started in Quito) to the brazilian coast. The name of the river is supposed to originate after a battle between the spaniards and a tribe of Tapuyas, because the Tapuya women fought alongside the men, hence the spaniards called them amazons because they loved Wonder Woman.
Cabeza de Vaca was part of another failed expedition which was driven by a storm from Mexico to Florida. This expedition left only 4 people alive, which after 8 years managed to return to Mexico City through Texas. Cabeza de Vaca was a slave for a time, and later he became a faith healer and trader and was allowed to travel. When he finally met some spanish slave-catchers in Mexico he defended his indigenous fellows, and he stands out as one of the few conquistadors that was not all about getting rich or die trying.
The author draws on multiple historical sources for this book, both spanish and indigenous, and he also tries to understand the background for the characters, and why they acted as they did, and does a good job of setting the scene and conjuring images.
Orellana ended up in charge of a failed expedition that eventually navigated down the Amazon river from the Andes (the expedition started in Quito) to the brazilian coast. The name of the river is supposed to originate after a battle between the spaniards and a tribe of Tapuyas, because the Tapuya women fought alongside the men, hence the spaniards called them amazons because they loved Wonder Woman.
Cabeza de Vaca was part of another failed expedition which was driven by a storm from Mexico to Florida. This expedition left only 4 people alive, which after 8 years managed to return to Mexico City through Texas. Cabeza de Vaca was a slave for a time, and later he became a faith healer and trader and was allowed to travel. When he finally met some spanish slave-catchers in Mexico he defended his indigenous fellows, and he stands out as one of the few conquistadors that was not all about getting rich or die trying.
The author draws on multiple historical sources for this book, both spanish and indigenous, and he also tries to understand the background for the characters, and why they acted as they did, and does a good job of setting the scene and conjuring images.
December 19, 2021
4 stars /
87%
A sobering and enlightening book. This book details three of the main events in the conquest of South America by the Spanish Empire during the 16th century.
It was a beautiful tribute to societies that had come before, and those that will never be seen again. It did justice to those people and to those tales, giving life to the people becoming lost in time.
This can also be seen as a warning. The destruction of a set of people so in touch with themselves and with the world around them (for the record I am not saying they were perfect, there is always a lot of grey areas in societies throughout history), to be replaced by a society of people so obsessed with material wealth and sex, can also be seen today. We are in a society that very much thrives off both of those aspects. When comparing the societies, the various civilisations of South America seem calm, composed, ordered, whereas the Conquistadors are the brutish, almost comically villainous society, coming to invade and pillage.
I believe that we can take a lesson from the past on how we live out own lives and how we can treat others. I am not singling out the conquistadors to be the sole villains of colonisation and Empire, but this is the story which resonated with me most, about how we should strive and endeavour to understand "the other".
A great read, if anything, I needed more of it.
87%
A sobering and enlightening book. This book details three of the main events in the conquest of South America by the Spanish Empire during the 16th century.
It was a beautiful tribute to societies that had come before, and those that will never be seen again. It did justice to those people and to those tales, giving life to the people becoming lost in time.
This can also be seen as a warning. The destruction of a set of people so in touch with themselves and with the world around them (for the record I am not saying they were perfect, there is always a lot of grey areas in societies throughout history), to be replaced by a society of people so obsessed with material wealth and sex, can also be seen today. We are in a society that very much thrives off both of those aspects. When comparing the societies, the various civilisations of South America seem calm, composed, ordered, whereas the Conquistadors are the brutish, almost comically villainous society, coming to invade and pillage.
I believe that we can take a lesson from the past on how we live out own lives and how we can treat others. I am not singling out the conquistadors to be the sole villains of colonisation and Empire, but this is the story which resonated with me most, about how we should strive and endeavour to understand "the other".
A great read, if anything, I needed more of it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews