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Conquest: Montezuma, Cortés and the Fall of Old Mexico
Drawing on newly discovered sources and writing with brilliance, drama, and profound historical insight, Hugh Thomas presents an engrossing narrative of one of the most significant events of Western history.
Ringing with the fury of two great empires locked in an epic battle, Conquest captures in extraordinary detail the Mexican and Spanish civilizations and offers unprecedented in-depth portraits of the legendary opponents, Montezuma and Cortés. Conquest is an essential work of history from one of our most gifted historians.
Ringing with the fury of two great empires locked in an epic battle, Conquest captures in extraordinary detail the Mexican and Spanish civilizations and offers unprecedented in-depth portraits of the legendary opponents, Montezuma and Cortés. Conquest is an essential work of history from one of our most gifted historians.
832 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
319 people are currently reading
4095 people want to read
About the author
Hugh Thomas
178 books161 followersLibrarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Hugh Swynnerton Thomas, Baron Thomas of Swynnerton, was a British historian and Hispanist.
Thomas was educated at Sherborne School in Dorset before taking a BA in 1953 at Queens' College, Cambridge. He also studied at the Sorbonne in Paris. His 1961 book The Spanish Civil War won the Somerset Maugham Award for 1962. A significantly revised and enlarged third edition was published in 1977. Cuba, or the Pursuit of Freedom (1971) is a book of over 1,500 pages tracing the history of Cuba from Spanish colonial rule until the Cuban Revolution. Thomas spent 10 years researching the contents of this book.
Thomas was married to the former Vanessa Jebb, daughter of the first Acting United Nations Secretary-General Gladwyn Jebb.
From 1966 to 1975 Thomas was Professor of History at the University of Reading. He was Director of the Centre for Policy Studies in London from 1979 to 1991, as an ally of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. He became a life peer as Baron Thomas of Swynnerton, of Notting Hill in Greater London in letters patent dated 16 June 1981. He has written pro-European political works, as well as histories. He is also the author of three novels.
Thomas's The Slave Trade: The Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade, 1440-1870 "begins with the first Portuguese slaving expeditions, before Columbus's voyage to the New World, and ends with the last gasp of the slave trade, long since made illegal elsewhere, in Cuba and Brazil, twenty-five years after the American Emancipation Proclamation," according to the summary on the book jacket.
Thomas should not be confused with two other historical writers: W. Hugh Thomas writes about Nazi Germany and Hugh M. Thomas is an American who writes on English history.
Hugh Swynnerton Thomas, Baron Thomas of Swynnerton, was a British historian and Hispanist.
Thomas was educated at Sherborne School in Dorset before taking a BA in 1953 at Queens' College, Cambridge. He also studied at the Sorbonne in Paris. His 1961 book The Spanish Civil War won the Somerset Maugham Award for 1962. A significantly revised and enlarged third edition was published in 1977. Cuba, or the Pursuit of Freedom (1971) is a book of over 1,500 pages tracing the history of Cuba from Spanish colonial rule until the Cuban Revolution. Thomas spent 10 years researching the contents of this book.
Thomas was married to the former Vanessa Jebb, daughter of the first Acting United Nations Secretary-General Gladwyn Jebb.
From 1966 to 1975 Thomas was Professor of History at the University of Reading. He was Director of the Centre for Policy Studies in London from 1979 to 1991, as an ally of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. He became a life peer as Baron Thomas of Swynnerton, of Notting Hill in Greater London in letters patent dated 16 June 1981. He has written pro-European political works, as well as histories. He is also the author of three novels.
Thomas's The Slave Trade: The Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade, 1440-1870 "begins with the first Portuguese slaving expeditions, before Columbus's voyage to the New World, and ends with the last gasp of the slave trade, long since made illegal elsewhere, in Cuba and Brazil, twenty-five years after the American Emancipation Proclamation," according to the summary on the book jacket.
Thomas should not be confused with two other historical writers: W. Hugh Thomas writes about Nazi Germany and Hugh M. Thomas is an American who writes on English history.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews
June 10, 2009
This is one of those books I'd seen on the shelves of my library and bookstore for years. The thickness of the book was the most intimidating factor which prevented me from ever picking it up. Its really silly to admit this, but the girth and title of the book reminded me of those dull volumns proped up in a dusty scholar's office.
The kind of book you pick up to enduce yawning.
Nothing could be further from the truth. I lost count of the nights I lost sleep because I could not put the book down to get a good night's rest.
I had just seen Michael Woods' documentary on the conquest of Mexico and I was anxious to learn more. I picked up Hugh Thomas' book and told myself I would put it back if the first page didnt engage me. Needless to say I was hooked from the first paragraph.
Hugh Thomas has done an amazing job, showing us an almost day by day account of Cortes's conquest of Mexico. He provides an incredible amount of background knowledge of both Ancient Mexico and the social, political sitiuation in Spain.
The result is a wonderful portrait of the two main characters as their world's are about to collide.
Montezuma is the scholarly Emperor, unsure of himself as he begins to hear rumors of bearded strangers making their way along the Eastern seas. This man clearly has the best interests of his people in mind, but in the end; his melancholy nature and his inability to inspire his people, will lead to the ultimate disaster for his entire civilization.
Cortes the the ultimate "wanna be"; born on the lower tiers of Spanish nobility, he is hungry to improve himself. Consequently he is quick to make decisions and exploit the weaknesses of others. With only a few hundred soldiers, he managed to recognize that not all is well with the Aztec Empire. He is quickly able to gather native allies and convince them to join him in to overthrow the Aztec masters.
I was constantly surprised at how adaptable Cortes would become. After his most discouraging set back, in which his treasure and more that half his men are captured or killed; he had the audacity to gather more allies and supplies to mount yet another campaign for the ultimate prize.
The third character to emerge from these pages is Tenochtitlan itself. Hugh Thomas presents the Aztec capital as a truly wonderful place. He introduces the metropolis neighborhood by neighborhood, palace by palace and street by street, canal by canal. During the Spanish siege and in the heavy street fighting we get a sense of how this city of 300,000 people is slowly dying. Cortes wanted to present this city as the jewel in the crown to Emperor Charles V, but even he and his men weep when they see what has happened to the city set in the middle of a lake, like another version of Venice.
I found the book incredibly rich in detail, to the point we even get to know the name of Cortes' dogs and horses.
A great book by any imagination. I suppose because Im descended from both sides of this conflict, I felt I wanted both to win; or rather, I didn't want either to loose. At one point I found tears streaming down my face. Yes I already knew what was going to happen, but the book made it all come alive again.
The kind of book you pick up to enduce yawning.
Nothing could be further from the truth. I lost count of the nights I lost sleep because I could not put the book down to get a good night's rest.
I had just seen Michael Woods' documentary on the conquest of Mexico and I was anxious to learn more. I picked up Hugh Thomas' book and told myself I would put it back if the first page didnt engage me. Needless to say I was hooked from the first paragraph.
Hugh Thomas has done an amazing job, showing us an almost day by day account of Cortes's conquest of Mexico. He provides an incredible amount of background knowledge of both Ancient Mexico and the social, political sitiuation in Spain.
The result is a wonderful portrait of the two main characters as their world's are about to collide.
Montezuma is the scholarly Emperor, unsure of himself as he begins to hear rumors of bearded strangers making their way along the Eastern seas. This man clearly has the best interests of his people in mind, but in the end; his melancholy nature and his inability to inspire his people, will lead to the ultimate disaster for his entire civilization.
Cortes the the ultimate "wanna be"; born on the lower tiers of Spanish nobility, he is hungry to improve himself. Consequently he is quick to make decisions and exploit the weaknesses of others. With only a few hundred soldiers, he managed to recognize that not all is well with the Aztec Empire. He is quickly able to gather native allies and convince them to join him in to overthrow the Aztec masters.
I was constantly surprised at how adaptable Cortes would become. After his most discouraging set back, in which his treasure and more that half his men are captured or killed; he had the audacity to gather more allies and supplies to mount yet another campaign for the ultimate prize.
The third character to emerge from these pages is Tenochtitlan itself. Hugh Thomas presents the Aztec capital as a truly wonderful place. He introduces the metropolis neighborhood by neighborhood, palace by palace and street by street, canal by canal. During the Spanish siege and in the heavy street fighting we get a sense of how this city of 300,000 people is slowly dying. Cortes wanted to present this city as the jewel in the crown to Emperor Charles V, but even he and his men weep when they see what has happened to the city set in the middle of a lake, like another version of Venice.
I found the book incredibly rich in detail, to the point we even get to know the name of Cortes' dogs and horses.
A great book by any imagination. I suppose because Im descended from both sides of this conflict, I felt I wanted both to win; or rather, I didn't want either to loose. At one point I found tears streaming down my face. Yes I already knew what was going to happen, but the book made it all come alive again.
October 14, 2023
La conquista de México
Hugh Thomas publicó en 1993 esta obra que tiene la pinta de ser la definitiva sobre este tema. Una auténtica enciclopedia que lo tiene todo sobre la conquista. Leída la edición del quinto centenario con prólogo del historiador mexicano Enrique Krauze.
Para conocer esta historia puede bastar con leer alguna de las novelas que hay escritas, que además son más fáciles de leer. Esto va más allá, es un repaso antológico a los acontecimientos y a todos los que intervinieron en ellos.
Thomas cuenta la historia de los mexicas y sus antepasados, sus costumbres y su superioridad sobre los demás pueblos de alrededor. Una gran introducción para recibir lo que se les venía encima. Los Mayas también tienen su espacio y de los conquistadores nos pone en situación mucho antes de llegar a México.
Un relato completo de lo que ocurrió antes, durante y después. Analizando el porqué de ciertas actuaciones. Thomas intenta poner en contexto la forma de vivir de los mexicas y demás pueblos. Por qué para ellos lo que hacían estaba bien. No sentían ningún remordimiento por los miles de sacrificios humanos que hacían. Era su forma de vida.
En cuanto a los conquistadores mira sus actos en comparación con la época. Hay que tener en cuenta que muchos venían directamente de la guerra en Italia y todos descendían de gente que había luchado contra los moros durante siglos.
De ahí que cada acto de castigo o violencia lo compare con lo que se hacía en Europa en esos años.
La obra es tan monumental porque el autor no escatimó esfuerzos en buscar información. Cada dato, cada cifra está comprobada por diferentes fuentes entre los que se encuentran los códices mexicanos, innumerables cartas y documentos oficiales, así como los escritos de Bernal Díaz del Castillo, conquistador que participó en la conquista. López de Gómara, capellán de Cortés o el historiador Fernández de Oviedo entre otros muchos.
El treinta por ciento del libro queda para apéndices, glosarios, documentos inéditos, ilustraciones e innumerables notas. Una obra de referencia y consulta.
Hugh Thomas publicó en 1993 esta obra que tiene la pinta de ser la definitiva sobre este tema. Una auténtica enciclopedia que lo tiene todo sobre la conquista. Leída la edición del quinto centenario con prólogo del historiador mexicano Enrique Krauze.
Para conocer esta historia puede bastar con leer alguna de las novelas que hay escritas, que además son más fáciles de leer. Esto va más allá, es un repaso antológico a los acontecimientos y a todos los que intervinieron en ellos.
Thomas cuenta la historia de los mexicas y sus antepasados, sus costumbres y su superioridad sobre los demás pueblos de alrededor. Una gran introducción para recibir lo que se les venía encima. Los Mayas también tienen su espacio y de los conquistadores nos pone en situación mucho antes de llegar a México.
Un relato completo de lo que ocurrió antes, durante y después. Analizando el porqué de ciertas actuaciones. Thomas intenta poner en contexto la forma de vivir de los mexicas y demás pueblos. Por qué para ellos lo que hacían estaba bien. No sentían ningún remordimiento por los miles de sacrificios humanos que hacían. Era su forma de vida.
En cuanto a los conquistadores mira sus actos en comparación con la época. Hay que tener en cuenta que muchos venían directamente de la guerra en Italia y todos descendían de gente que había luchado contra los moros durante siglos.
De ahí que cada acto de castigo o violencia lo compare con lo que se hacía en Europa en esos años.
La obra es tan monumental porque el autor no escatimó esfuerzos en buscar información. Cada dato, cada cifra está comprobada por diferentes fuentes entre los que se encuentran los códices mexicanos, innumerables cartas y documentos oficiales, así como los escritos de Bernal Díaz del Castillo, conquistador que participó en la conquista. López de Gómara, capellán de Cortés o el historiador Fernández de Oviedo entre otros muchos.
El treinta por ciento del libro queda para apéndices, glosarios, documentos inéditos, ilustraciones e innumerables notas. Una obra de referencia y consulta.
June 24, 2018
Estructurado prácticamente como una novela histórica, y documentado hasta el más mínimo detalle sobre el abundante material de las fuentes y versiones disponibles de la gesta, el relato que Thomas hace de Hernán Cortés y Moctezuma no solo refuerza el interés documental y potencia la épica narrativa, también consigue situar la Historia y sus historias en un terreno neutro y objetivo que evita magistralmente juicios y comentarios subjetivos sin perder, eso sí, una elegante y casi imperceptible dosis de ironía británica basada en una distancia intelectual y cronológica que solo una autoridad de la talla HT se puede (o se sabe) permitir.
Aviso a los buscadores de recompensa inmediata: se trata de un tomo de dimensiones considerables que exige paciencia y, si se me permite, un poco de "putería" para aprender a saltarse fragmentos sin perder el hilo y la magistral tensión narrativa que sustenta toda la obra.
Especialmente recomendable: la indagación casi obsesiva que hace Thomas del auténtico perfil psicológico de Moctezuma, quién y cómo era realmente este fascinante personaje, qué pensó y cómo reaccionó ante la llegada de los españoles, frente a ellos y frente a su pueblo, que aún hoy le juzga.
Aviso a los buscadores de recompensa inmediata: se trata de un tomo de dimensiones considerables que exige paciencia y, si se me permite, un poco de "putería" para aprender a saltarse fragmentos sin perder el hilo y la magistral tensión narrativa que sustenta toda la obra.
Especialmente recomendable: la indagación casi obsesiva que hace Thomas del auténtico perfil psicológico de Moctezuma, quién y cómo era realmente este fascinante personaje, qué pensó y cómo reaccionó ante la llegada de los españoles, frente a ellos y frente a su pueblo, que aún hoy le juzga.
January 28, 2014
This is a solid, well-documented and researched book about a topic that is intriguing and something I had always been interested in reading. The writing is a little 'old' and the english grammar can throw you off if you aren't used to it. I loved the clarity of the history and the way the author goes through the motion to explain what happened, how it happened and as many motives as possible behind the decisions of the Spanish and the Mexica.
Anyone interested in the discovery of new civilizations or the history of the Americas should definitely read this. This book answered several questions that I had always had about how the civilizations interacted and the thoughts and motives behind the conquerors. What were the motives of the Spanish? What was Cortez's legacy? Why did he do what he did? What really happened to the ships? What was the role of religion? How did the Spanish alter a distinct culture in so fast a time? These and more questions are answered and analyzed.
Anyone interested in the discovery of new civilizations or the history of the Americas should definitely read this. This book answered several questions that I had always had about how the civilizations interacted and the thoughts and motives behind the conquerors. What were the motives of the Spanish? What was Cortez's legacy? Why did he do what he did? What really happened to the ships? What was the role of religion? How did the Spanish alter a distinct culture in so fast a time? These and more questions are answered and analyzed.
November 25, 2020
An insightful, well-researched and wide-ranging history of the Spanish conquest of Aztec Mexico.
Cortés and Montezuma are the main figures, and Thomas succeeds in giving them depth. He ably portrays Cortés’s audacity and courage. In a well-written, human and vivid narrative Thomas describes the Spanish and Aztec worlds before the conquest, the expeditions of de Córdoba and de Grijalva, and how the riches and mystery of the Aztecs fired the ambitions of later conquistadors. Thomas also highlights the fact that Cortés did not have official orders to conquer Mexico, and how the governor in Cuba eventually sent forces to pursue him just as an Aztec rebellion broke out.
Thomas also describes how anxious Montezuma became about the foreign visitors and the myth of Quetzalcoatl. Thomas tells how Cortés allied with other local tribes to topple the Aztecs and his improbable and amazing success here. These tribes were often the only help he could count on since his superiors in Spain seemed to not know or care what Cortés was up to. Thomas also tells how the battles were fought, and how the story of New Spain’s first years played out. There are several interesting tidbits, such as the Aztec’s emphasis on wounding and capturing their enemies, leading to many Spanish remarks about how easy it was to kill them.
A thorough, readable and engaging work.
Cortés and Montezuma are the main figures, and Thomas succeeds in giving them depth. He ably portrays Cortés’s audacity and courage. In a well-written, human and vivid narrative Thomas describes the Spanish and Aztec worlds before the conquest, the expeditions of de Córdoba and de Grijalva, and how the riches and mystery of the Aztecs fired the ambitions of later conquistadors. Thomas also highlights the fact that Cortés did not have official orders to conquer Mexico, and how the governor in Cuba eventually sent forces to pursue him just as an Aztec rebellion broke out.
Thomas also describes how anxious Montezuma became about the foreign visitors and the myth of Quetzalcoatl. Thomas tells how Cortés allied with other local tribes to topple the Aztecs and his improbable and amazing success here. These tribes were often the only help he could count on since his superiors in Spain seemed to not know or care what Cortés was up to. Thomas also tells how the battles were fought, and how the story of New Spain’s first years played out. There are several interesting tidbits, such as the Aztec’s emphasis on wounding and capturing their enemies, leading to many Spanish remarks about how easy it was to kill them.
A thorough, readable and engaging work.
April 30, 2023
Monumental ...!
J'aurais aimé qu'on reste un peu plus du côté des Mexicas pendant le siège de leur cité. Et aussi qu'on s'attarde aux Tlaxcalans et à leurs ambitions de remplacer les Mexicas comme maîtres de la région. Quand les Castillans ont-ils renié leurs promesses ? Comment s'est passé la désillusion ?
Les dernières parties du livre sont très Cortès-centric. J'avais encore faim de voir et comprendre comment se sont déroulés tous ces événements et cette transition du point de vue des peuples du basin de Mexico.
J'en ressors avec plein de questions, évidemment ! Mais quelle oeuvre !
J'aurais aimé qu'on reste un peu plus du côté des Mexicas pendant le siège de leur cité. Et aussi qu'on s'attarde aux Tlaxcalans et à leurs ambitions de remplacer les Mexicas comme maîtres de la région. Quand les Castillans ont-ils renié leurs promesses ? Comment s'est passé la désillusion ?
Les dernières parties du livre sont très Cortès-centric. J'avais encore faim de voir et comprendre comment se sont déroulés tous ces événements et cette transition du point de vue des peuples du basin de Mexico.
J'en ressors avec plein de questions, évidemment ! Mais quelle oeuvre !
April 23, 2024
Es una obra monumental apoyada por una vasta bibliografía. Ojalá una Hispanoamérica unida de nuevo.
November 9, 2021
Conquest detailed how the conquest of Mexico-Tenochtitlan was possible.
With a good glimpse of the context and day-to-day life.
For example how was to be a woman or a child between Mexicas (very few details we have about this). What they eat, how they eat, what eat the Spaniards, what they do, what they believed, how they endure in a difficult enterprise.
Of course, Cortes had luck, a lot of luck: they succeded in acting boldly and swiftly. But the superiority of Spaniards to kill has no question: they can kill a lot and quickly.
Mexicas survived, and their loyalty and endurance were formidable. Even the women fighting in a street war. Mexicas didn't have the luck of the Incas that had the Andean mountains. Without a doubt, they had finished the Spaniards if they could control the horses, the most lethal weapon of the Spaniards.
The author made a wonderful work and gives you also a touch of the history, architecture, customs, and political situation of both empires.
Recommended.
With a good glimpse of the context and day-to-day life.
For example how was to be a woman or a child between Mexicas (very few details we have about this). What they eat, how they eat, what eat the Spaniards, what they do, what they believed, how they endure in a difficult enterprise.
Of course, Cortes had luck, a lot of luck: they succeded in acting boldly and swiftly. But the superiority of Spaniards to kill has no question: they can kill a lot and quickly.
Mexicas survived, and their loyalty and endurance were formidable. Even the women fighting in a street war. Mexicas didn't have the luck of the Incas that had the Andean mountains. Without a doubt, they had finished the Spaniards if they could control the horses, the most lethal weapon of the Spaniards.
The author made a wonderful work and gives you also a touch of the history, architecture, customs, and political situation of both empires.
Recommended.
May 22, 2012
Fascinating history of the destruction (or more accurately sharp decline)of the Aztec culture brought on by Cortes' invasion. Fortunately the book depicts all persons involved (whether Aztecs, Spanish or Tlaxcalian)as fully human, with both good and bad attributes. The book just as powerfully depicts the beauty that was lost with the downfall of the Aztecs. I absolutely loved this book--one of my favorite history books ever. To be honest though, the book is very long and loses its compass (and interest) in a couple places, but overall, excellent times five. Gains a point or two because a woman who saw me with the book was amazed that I read such books for pure enjoyment--she thought I was reading it for colege or something. So well worth reading--or just carrying with you on the subway.
February 28, 2025
“For a time Cortes and his friends seemed to have been looked upon by some Mexica as being deities. But in the end, to be honest, it had been the Mexica who had fought like gods”
April 5, 2023
Many years ago I used to buy second-hand books from Wakefield market in the north of England. There was a stall, which always had good books, where the owner used to weigh the books and sell them by the pound. He would have had a field day with The Conquest of Mexico by Hugh Thomas.
Don’t take it as holiday reading. It weighs a kilo. There’s over 600 pages of text and over 200 more of appendices and notes. But not a word of this text is redundant. To call this book “detailed” would be an understatement of ridiculous proportion. It seems, often, that there is not a single pace of Cortez’s progress through New Spain that is not documented. Paradoxically, by the end of the book, we still feel that we have not really met Cortez, El Caudillo. He seems to remain aloof, a protagonist driven by ideology but ruled by pragmatism, the ultimate loyal servant who lived a self-serving life, a brutal warlord, who always first tried to politic his way to power. Cortes seems to present a mass of contradictions. One entire appendix is devoted to a selection of the women in life, specifically those with whom he had children. He was loyal to those who supported him, and yet also undermined them whenever he felt threatened, sent a Royal Fifth to the king whenever he could, but kept his systems of calculation close to his chest, opaque even to those close to him.
What Hugh Thomas does in The Conquest of Mexico is provide a blow by blow a count of how Cortez and thus the Spanish crown took control of Mexico. The original conquistadors thought they were on an island, just like those they had left, Cuba, Hispaniola and Jamaica. They were wrong. They thought that perhaps they would find China and the Spice Islands just a stone’s throw from where they landed. They were also wrong. They thought they represented a higher culture than the indigenous. They were probably wrong. They thought they had superior weapons and technology. They were probably right. What they did not know was that they were importing diseases from Europe to which the indigenous population have no immunity. Smallpox, whooping cough and influenza had travelled with them and this thing they did not know was to prove crucial. The result? Mexican society was devastated. The conquistadores had wanted to exploit this society, but they were left with nothing to populate their encomiendas.
The Conquest of Mexico taught me several things I have never known. The first and crucial fact related to the term Aztec. We perhaps all know that the greatest empire in Mexico was that of the Aztecs. It was centred around the lake that we now know as Mexico City. Hugh Thomas rejects the label “Aztec” as a modern invention and refers to the people of the central plains around the lake as Mexica throughout. The second significant fact relates to the fact that the empire was anything but ancient. It was perhaps older than the unified Spanish state, but not by much. A third revelation was that the Spanish would never have conquered the Mexica without support from other, only slightly less powerful people who allied themselves with the invaders in order to escape the imperial yoke of the Mexica.
The fourth revelation was the word, “nepantilism”, which refers to a situation where an old culture has been completely destroyed before a new identity or value set has been established. It seems to me that the modern societies are always in that state.
Hugh Thomas spends much time in the book describing ceremonial sacrifice and the ensuing cannibalism. He explains how the conquistadores were repelled by what they found. He does observe that they themselves though nothing of roasting people during the Inquisition or piling up the entrails of a man still alive to witness the display of his own innards. The author does not specifically reference the fact that they also carried with them the image of a man nailed to piece of wood, a human sacrifice who, just like those sent to the gods by the Mexica, died to save the rest of us. At least the colonialists did not eat the victim, apart, of course, from every Sunday at mass. Hugh Thomas reminds us that Martin Luther was writing and publishing around the time of the Spanish conquest of the Mexica.
Don’t read Hugh Thomas’s book for an overview of Cortes and his role in Mexico because the detail will get in the way. Do read it, however, to understand all the complexities of the process. Don’t read it for a romanticized version of any view of history. Do read it for accuracy mixed with the fog of dilemma. But do read it.
Don’t take it as holiday reading. It weighs a kilo. There’s over 600 pages of text and over 200 more of appendices and notes. But not a word of this text is redundant. To call this book “detailed” would be an understatement of ridiculous proportion. It seems, often, that there is not a single pace of Cortez’s progress through New Spain that is not documented. Paradoxically, by the end of the book, we still feel that we have not really met Cortez, El Caudillo. He seems to remain aloof, a protagonist driven by ideology but ruled by pragmatism, the ultimate loyal servant who lived a self-serving life, a brutal warlord, who always first tried to politic his way to power. Cortes seems to present a mass of contradictions. One entire appendix is devoted to a selection of the women in life, specifically those with whom he had children. He was loyal to those who supported him, and yet also undermined them whenever he felt threatened, sent a Royal Fifth to the king whenever he could, but kept his systems of calculation close to his chest, opaque even to those close to him.
What Hugh Thomas does in The Conquest of Mexico is provide a blow by blow a count of how Cortez and thus the Spanish crown took control of Mexico. The original conquistadors thought they were on an island, just like those they had left, Cuba, Hispaniola and Jamaica. They were wrong. They thought that perhaps they would find China and the Spice Islands just a stone’s throw from where they landed. They were also wrong. They thought they represented a higher culture than the indigenous. They were probably wrong. They thought they had superior weapons and technology. They were probably right. What they did not know was that they were importing diseases from Europe to which the indigenous population have no immunity. Smallpox, whooping cough and influenza had travelled with them and this thing they did not know was to prove crucial. The result? Mexican society was devastated. The conquistadores had wanted to exploit this society, but they were left with nothing to populate their encomiendas.
The Conquest of Mexico taught me several things I have never known. The first and crucial fact related to the term Aztec. We perhaps all know that the greatest empire in Mexico was that of the Aztecs. It was centred around the lake that we now know as Mexico City. Hugh Thomas rejects the label “Aztec” as a modern invention and refers to the people of the central plains around the lake as Mexica throughout. The second significant fact relates to the fact that the empire was anything but ancient. It was perhaps older than the unified Spanish state, but not by much. A third revelation was that the Spanish would never have conquered the Mexica without support from other, only slightly less powerful people who allied themselves with the invaders in order to escape the imperial yoke of the Mexica.
The fourth revelation was the word, “nepantilism”, which refers to a situation where an old culture has been completely destroyed before a new identity or value set has been established. It seems to me that the modern societies are always in that state.
Hugh Thomas spends much time in the book describing ceremonial sacrifice and the ensuing cannibalism. He explains how the conquistadores were repelled by what they found. He does observe that they themselves though nothing of roasting people during the Inquisition or piling up the entrails of a man still alive to witness the display of his own innards. The author does not specifically reference the fact that they also carried with them the image of a man nailed to piece of wood, a human sacrifice who, just like those sent to the gods by the Mexica, died to save the rest of us. At least the colonialists did not eat the victim, apart, of course, from every Sunday at mass. Hugh Thomas reminds us that Martin Luther was writing and publishing around the time of the Spanish conquest of the Mexica.
Don’t read Hugh Thomas’s book for an overview of Cortes and his role in Mexico because the detail will get in the way. Do read it, however, to understand all the complexities of the process. Don’t read it for a romanticized version of any view of history. Do read it for accuracy mixed with the fog of dilemma. But do read it.
February 10, 2023
These amazing conflagrations of history start as elementary school coloring book pages of historical events or periods. Broad strokes, summarized, portraying sensationalized tableaus. Usually exaggerations, usually contorted by the bias of the publisher.
This was a Neil Young song to me prior to reading this book. An attempt at a historically corrective postscript, maybe, but see above.
Hugh Thomas’ book is grounded in historical documentation, backgrounded by the prevailing political winds in Spain, Flanders, Rome, Hispaniola. Taking the leap from elementary school and pop culture introductions to this level of scholarship was a bit jarring for ignorant me. The 589 pages (more with the epilogue, actually) contained more backgrounding of individual conquistadors, pages, and bit players than I needed.
BUT . . . This story! The details! Tenochtitlan and quetzal feathers and the different weaponry and the overland routes. The oh-by-the-way lowering into a volcano for sulfur for gunpowder. The festivals and dancing and sacrifices and rituals. The characters - hand-wringing Montezuma and mounted Sandoval and Marina the interpreter. And the complex figure of Cortes, who despite my efforts to loathe and castigate, is impossible not to credit for his Machiavellian scheming, military planning, astute psychological manipulations, charisma, courage, and ultimately his massive effectiveness against great odds. Audacity? Vainglory? Will? Murder? Yeah - all of that. Reading the book, you get the clear picture that he was the right man for this tragic and world-altering job.
Where are the movies of this? Is it too painful? The details beg for a big screen. You wouldn’t need to exaggerate, to simplify, to limit. It’s got all the tragedy, the technicolor, the villainy, the fantastical setting, anyone could ask for.
Credit Hugh Thomas for his scholarship. My gripes were the excess of historical details - mostly because I’m still gaping at the basics - and regular instances of sentence structure that required rereading. These 589+ pages felt like more. But what a story to tell!
This was a Neil Young song to me prior to reading this book. An attempt at a historically corrective postscript, maybe, but see above.
Hugh Thomas’ book is grounded in historical documentation, backgrounded by the prevailing political winds in Spain, Flanders, Rome, Hispaniola. Taking the leap from elementary school and pop culture introductions to this level of scholarship was a bit jarring for ignorant me. The 589 pages (more with the epilogue, actually) contained more backgrounding of individual conquistadors, pages, and bit players than I needed.
BUT . . . This story! The details! Tenochtitlan and quetzal feathers and the different weaponry and the overland routes. The oh-by-the-way lowering into a volcano for sulfur for gunpowder. The festivals and dancing and sacrifices and rituals. The characters - hand-wringing Montezuma and mounted Sandoval and Marina the interpreter. And the complex figure of Cortes, who despite my efforts to loathe and castigate, is impossible not to credit for his Machiavellian scheming, military planning, astute psychological manipulations, charisma, courage, and ultimately his massive effectiveness against great odds. Audacity? Vainglory? Will? Murder? Yeah - all of that. Reading the book, you get the clear picture that he was the right man for this tragic and world-altering job.
Where are the movies of this? Is it too painful? The details beg for a big screen. You wouldn’t need to exaggerate, to simplify, to limit. It’s got all the tragedy, the technicolor, the villainy, the fantastical setting, anyone could ask for.
Credit Hugh Thomas for his scholarship. My gripes were the excess of historical details - mostly because I’m still gaping at the basics - and regular instances of sentence structure that required rereading. These 589+ pages felt like more. But what a story to tell!
November 26, 2024
Hugh Thomas’s Conquest: Montezuma, Cortés, and the Fall of Old Mexico is a sweeping and meticulously detailed account of one of history’s most dramatic encounters: the clash between the Spanish conquistadors, led by Hernán Cortés, and the Aztec Empire, ruled by Montezuma. First published in 1993, the book remains a seminal work for anyone interested in the complex interplay of ambition, culture, religion, and brutality that characterized this pivotal moment in history.
Thomas excels in weaving a compelling narrative that draws from an exhaustive range of sources, including letters, official reports, indigenous accounts, and chronicles written by participants such as Bernal Díaz del Castillo. His writing captures the grandeur of Tenochtitlán, the personalities of Montezuma and Cortés, and the cascading events that led to the collapse of the Aztec Empire with vivid detail.
While many accounts of the conquest have traditionally lionized Cortés or condemned Montezuma, Thomas strikes a balance by presenting both figures as complex, deeply human characters. Cortés emerges as a brilliant but ruthless strategist, while Montezuma is portrayed as a deeply spiritual and tragic leader caught in the maelstrom of a world he could not fully understand or control.
One of the book’s greatest strengths is its sensitivity to the cultural and religious dimensions of the encounter. Thomas delves deeply into Aztec society, religious practices, and cosmology, allowing readers to appreciate the profound disorientation experienced by both sides as they encountered alien beliefs and ways of life.
The book does not merely recount the military campaign; it explores the broader political, social, and economic contexts on both sides of the Atlantic. Thomas examines the motivations of the Spanish Crown, the role of indigenous allies, and the devastating impact of European diseases on native populations, providing a panoramic view of the conquest’s far-reaching consequences.
This is definitely a dense history but I would call it the definitive history of the conquest of the Aztecs. Great read for anyone interested in the time period
Thomas excels in weaving a compelling narrative that draws from an exhaustive range of sources, including letters, official reports, indigenous accounts, and chronicles written by participants such as Bernal Díaz del Castillo. His writing captures the grandeur of Tenochtitlán, the personalities of Montezuma and Cortés, and the cascading events that led to the collapse of the Aztec Empire with vivid detail.
While many accounts of the conquest have traditionally lionized Cortés or condemned Montezuma, Thomas strikes a balance by presenting both figures as complex, deeply human characters. Cortés emerges as a brilliant but ruthless strategist, while Montezuma is portrayed as a deeply spiritual and tragic leader caught in the maelstrom of a world he could not fully understand or control.
One of the book’s greatest strengths is its sensitivity to the cultural and religious dimensions of the encounter. Thomas delves deeply into Aztec society, religious practices, and cosmology, allowing readers to appreciate the profound disorientation experienced by both sides as they encountered alien beliefs and ways of life.
The book does not merely recount the military campaign; it explores the broader political, social, and economic contexts on both sides of the Atlantic. Thomas examines the motivations of the Spanish Crown, the role of indigenous allies, and the devastating impact of European diseases on native populations, providing a panoramic view of the conquest’s far-reaching consequences.
This is definitely a dense history but I would call it the definitive history of the conquest of the Aztecs. Great read for anyone interested in the time period
October 19, 2025
This book is terrifically written and well-researched. If you are interested in the history of Mexico during the conquest by Cortes, this is a greatly informative book. I learned a lot about Ancient Mexico from this book. I had been wanting to read more about South American history, as it is a region in which my knowledge is severely lacking. I think it is important to know about our Southern neighbors (for Americans) especially in our current climate. It is staggering to see the impact that exploration and conquest had on Mexico. Definitely would recommend this book to others.
July 24, 2018
So good!!
February 6, 2022
The definitive book on the conquest of Mexico, but hard to read! Essentially, it is the story of how Cortes and a thousand conquistadors conquered the 3 million Mexican (Aztec) empire.
March 11, 2025
Perfectly threads the needle between the dryness of academia and the sensationalism of pop history. An incredibly detailed, balanced and engaging account of the Spanish conquests.
May 18, 2023
Phenomenal work on the Spanish conquest of Mexico in the great tradition of the gentleman-historian. Thomas covers Cortes’ conquest of the Aztec empire in a narrative history that doesn’t skimp on primary source evidence. Most of the book is tracking the who, what, when, why and how of Cortes’ expedition, but there’s also valuable background on the social, political and religious worlds of the Aztecs and post-Reconquista Spain. Thomas cultivates a real sense of wonder and adventure throughout the book - none of the nebbish handwringing one might expect from a tale of colonial conquest. Well worth a read if you’re interested in the time and/or place.
February 29, 2008
From watching The Hunt for Red October I knew that Cortez burned his ships when he got to the new world. And since they speak Spanish in Mexico, I figured the Spanish won out in the end. But I was a little short on the details. I read this book to try and learn what happened. And I did!
As far as narrative histories goes, this one is pretty impressive. The first 100 pages or so introduce the Aztec and Spanish civilizations as the existed before they discovered one another. And then it's off to the conquesting, as Cortez reaches Mexico and sets about toppling the Aztec empire. The really interesting part of the book is learning how heavily Cortez relied on the Aztecs enemies in his efforts. I suppose it was all over for pre-contact Mexican civilizations once smallpox shows up, but it's interesting to wonder what would have happened had the various groups of Indians not been so focused on short term gain.
Anyhow, this book is really informative if, like me, you know nothing about the subject. I'd give it four stars for contect, but I docked it a star because I found the writing dry at times and it was a bit hard to get through in parts (Oh Bookface! Why don't you let me give half stars?) For anyone interested in the subject it's well worth the effort.
As far as narrative histories goes, this one is pretty impressive. The first 100 pages or so introduce the Aztec and Spanish civilizations as the existed before they discovered one another. And then it's off to the conquesting, as Cortez reaches Mexico and sets about toppling the Aztec empire. The really interesting part of the book is learning how heavily Cortez relied on the Aztecs enemies in his efforts. I suppose it was all over for pre-contact Mexican civilizations once smallpox shows up, but it's interesting to wonder what would have happened had the various groups of Indians not been so focused on short term gain.
Anyhow, this book is really informative if, like me, you know nothing about the subject. I'd give it four stars for contect, but I docked it a star because I found the writing dry at times and it was a bit hard to get through in parts (Oh Bookface! Why don't you let me give half stars?) For anyone interested in the subject it's well worth the effort.
August 24, 2009
Since the age of 12 I've devoured whatever I could about the Mayans & Aztecs. Naturally this included fantastic tale of Cortes & his conquest of Mexico. From Bernal Diaz' eyewitness account to Prescott's classic 19th century tome it was a story well worth revisiting. But was there anything really new to learn? The cover of this book said there was. The research of this book, including newly discovered documents, is simply awesome. The Shakespearean like drama of the fall of the Mexica (Thomas refuses to call them Aztecs for they never knew themselves by that name)at the hands of a few hundred Spaniards & their vengeance minded native allies unfolds anew. He brings a multi-sided perspective that is not just the European point of view. Details, details, details that continued to have me saying to myself "I never knew that". My God, the man knows the names some of the horses & dogs that sailed with Cortes from Cuba. Thomas is not shy to say when he thinks some source is biased or exaggerated. When is Hollywood finally going to make a epic film of this wondrous story with it's complex, but deeply flawed & human characters? This may be a good start for the source material.
December 26, 2021
“La historia no tiene tiempo para ser justa. Como frío cronista no toma en cuenta más que los resultados.” (Stefan Zweig)
Thomas Hughes nos presenta la sucesión de hechos ocurridos fundamentalmente durante la conquista de México entre 1519 y 1521 con una crónica rigurosa y fuera de interpretaciones maniqueas. Contextualizada y debidamente documentada (Son casi 700 páginas con otras 200 de notas, referencias…) pero escrita de una manera accesible e incluso bastante amena.
Un personaje como Hernan Cortes se muestra como lo que fue, un ser al que difícilmente se podrá dar una interpretación inequívoca pero que al menos en este libro alcanzamos a tener una buena aproximación.
La hechos que vivieron ese grupo de conquistadores que se adentraron en el Valle de México para realizar la conquista es sin duda alguna una de las mayores aventuras que jamás se han realizado. Con toda su épica y su crueldad. Y merece la pena ser conocida , este libro nos ayuda a ello.
Thomas Hughes nos presenta la sucesión de hechos ocurridos fundamentalmente durante la conquista de México entre 1519 y 1521 con una crónica rigurosa y fuera de interpretaciones maniqueas. Contextualizada y debidamente documentada (Son casi 700 páginas con otras 200 de notas, referencias…) pero escrita de una manera accesible e incluso bastante amena.
Un personaje como Hernan Cortes se muestra como lo que fue, un ser al que difícilmente se podrá dar una interpretación inequívoca pero que al menos en este libro alcanzamos a tener una buena aproximación.
La hechos que vivieron ese grupo de conquistadores que se adentraron en el Valle de México para realizar la conquista es sin duda alguna una de las mayores aventuras que jamás se han realizado. Con toda su épica y su crueldad. Y merece la pena ser conocida , este libro nos ayuda a ello.
October 28, 2016
Exceptional. Easily one of the greatest accounts of the conquest of old Mexico ever written. Not only are there newly discovered sources shining an unexpected light on centuries-old accounts, not only does the author display a finely tuned sensitivity towards both the bias of past historians and the massive cultural gulf between the Mexica and the Castilians, but the author is also a damn fine writer. This book is a riveting tale, a page-turner. Hugh Thomas has done humanity a great justice here.
This book is about an INSANE, mind-boggling, unforgettable, dumbfounding, bizarre, heartbreaking event that will electrify you. You won't be able to put it down. It is difficult to comprehend that these events happened, that these people existed...that these two empires at their zenith hurled themselves into an alien void.
Witness the birth of the West.
This book is about an INSANE, mind-boggling, unforgettable, dumbfounding, bizarre, heartbreaking event that will electrify you. You won't be able to put it down. It is difficult to comprehend that these events happened, that these people existed...that these two empires at their zenith hurled themselves into an alien void.
Witness the birth of the West.
February 8, 2015
Thomas’ book is a blow by blow, day by day account of the fall of the Aztec Empire. The author has thoroughly researched every detail on both the Spanish and Mexican side of the conflict. Apparently it took Hernan Cortes two years and about 2,000 dead Spaniards to defeat the Aztecs. Cortes' complicated era of the 1520's saw the election of Charles V to the Spanish Empire, Martin Luther challenging the Catholic Church at the Cathedral of Worms, and Magellan's expedition had just circumnavigated the world. Thomas' book does justice to the all of the personalities involved in both Mexico and Spain.
November 10, 2014
Encore un livre majeur de ce grand historien. Hugh Thomas decrit avec précision et objectivité l extrordinaire aventure de Cortes. Puisant directement aux sources, il reussit à nous donner à la fois le point de vue des vainqueurs espagnols - en particulier le cynisme mais aussi la vision stratégique du Caudillo, et celui des vaincus mexicains dont la fascinante civilisation - et les traces qu elle laissat dans la reorganisation et la culture de la Nouvelle Espagne- sont longuement rappelées... On comprend mieux en lisant le poète mexicain qui écrivait 'Je suis l'épée et la gloire de Cortès, je suis l'aigle et le serpent de la légende aztèque'...
August 5, 2019
Es un libro excelentemente bien documentado. Una obra muy completa, que seguramente los interesados en el tema apreciarán. No lo recomiendo como un primer acercamiento al tema, ya que la obra es enciclopédica y, si bien su lenguaje es muy dinámico y de fácil comprensión, es probable que se requiera un entendimiento previo.
El tratamiento del tema busca ser equilibrado. En mi opinión lo logra al principio, pero al llegar a la mitad, comienza a parecer que el autor se decanta por la admiración hacia Cortés, y se pierde ese equilibrio inicial.
Un libro imprescindible para quienes deseen profundizar en la compleja, fascinante y trascendente conquista de los mexicas que realizó Cortés.
El tratamiento del tema busca ser equilibrado. En mi opinión lo logra al principio, pero al llegar a la mitad, comienza a parecer que el autor se decanta por la admiración hacia Cortés, y se pierde ese equilibrio inicial.
Un libro imprescindible para quienes deseen profundizar en la compleja, fascinante y trascendente conquista de los mexicas que realizó Cortés.
March 13, 2017
La historia de México es espectacular, pero la conquista es como una novela de heroísmo incomparable tanto de europeos como americanos. Cortés era un hombre del renacimiento y debe ser juzgado como un hombre del siglo XVI, de la reconquista...vale la pena leerlo para ver cómo la verdad sobre la Conquista aparece.
February 6, 2020
Well-researched, vividly written and wonderfully enlightening account of the great clash of civilizations. Taught me more than a semester of college teaching around the subject and entertained the heck out of me in the process.
December 27, 2020
Espectacular. Una labor exquisita de investigación culmina en una obra metódica, exhaustiva, seria de una época extraordinaria.
February 9, 2023
Me acerqué a este libro porque una vez leí de refilón una referencia de Hernán Cortés y Moctezuma sitiados en Tenochtitlán por los mexicas. Era una referencia compleja para los que teniamos nociones básicas y necesitaba contexto. Me di cuenta que en realidad no sabía nada de ese episodio de la conquista de México y que la educación en España pasa de manera sucinta sobre estos episodios históricos de gran importancia, sobre todo, para la concepción y nacimiento de España entendida como nación-imperio.
El libro está escrito de manera cronológica: tras una breve útil introducción contextual, Hugh Thomas narra la arribada de los españoles al Nuevo Mundo hasta la conquista de México-Tenochtitlán y, a pesar de la enormidad del libro, se lee de manera rápida, sobre todo, si uno consigue pasar sobre los numerosos nombres de personajes, ciudades y pueblos en lengua nahuatl sin tratar de pronunciarlos. La forma en la que se describen los hechos consigue transportar al lector a las fascinantes incursiones de los conquistadores en ignotos territorios y culturas.
Resulta inquietante que una historia tan interesante como la biografía de Hernán Cortés no sea más conocida por el ciudadano medio, y no hago referencia solo en España o Latinoamérica. Se sabe de Cristóbal Colón como descubridor de unas nuevas tierras, pero nada más que eso. La historia de Marina o la del conquistador y traductor por accidente Gerónimo de Aguilar son dignas de una superproducción. Fascina la cantidad de relatos recogidos de estos acontecimientos a pesar de la época y precariedad en la que se dan, así como de la pérdida de incalculables documentos y objetos de la época. Resulta complicado imaginar hoy la riqueza arquitectónica y cultural de Tenochtitlán en toda su grandeza y, aún así, siglos después sigue doliendo leer todo lo que se perdió tras la destrucción por parte de los españoles y sus aliados locales.
La historia de la conquista de México está llena de momentos trepidantes y temerarios que la hacen una historia tremendamente entretenida, como si de un libro de caballerías se tratara, pero a su vez el trasfondo es profundamente triste y frustrante. Los conquistadores llegaron a unas tierras e impusieron su voluntad para satisfacer sus codiciosas ansias de poder y riquezas. Para ello, no dudaron en aniquilar a todo aquel que opusiera resistencia. Hay hechos, como la caída final de Tenochtitlán y la muerte masiva de mexicas civiles que duelen al leerlo. Si bien, no se entendería jamás esta conquista sin la connivencia de otros pueblos del territorio, principalmente de los tlaxcaltecas que, en cierta manera, tuvieron un papel central en la matanza indiscriminada de mexicas, entre ellos, de mujeres y niños.
Hay una corriente de opinión que considera que la colonización de Latinoamérica por parte de los españoles fue un hecho genocida. Sin duda, la llegada de los españoles fue un acontecimiento que condujo a la reducción masiva de población, pero no hace falta ser historiador para darse cuenta que denominar genocidio a las acciones de aquellos quedan lejos de la realidad e intenciones de los españoles que llegaron a estas tierras. La conquista tenía como fin el enriquecimiento personal de los conquistadores y, por descontado, de la realeza y señoríos de los reinos de España. Para conseguirlo emplearon la explotación y brutales asesinatos, en algunos casos, especialmente duros como los llevados a cabo por algunos conquistadores como Alvarado. No obstante, en ningún caso el fin último de la conquista fue aniquilar a la población local que acabó diezmada en parte por las enfermedades que los conquistadores importaron y, por supuesto, también por el trato que se les dio en algunos momentos del proceso de colonización (véase Cuba y Jamaica en los inicios del siglo XVI). Con todo, hay declaraciones y hechos históricos reforzados con los años posteriores que dan a entender una intencionalidad totalmente contraria a la aniquilación de estos lugares y sus gentes.
A diferencia de otras potencias occidentales que realizaron incursiones en otros territorios para su colonización, como el Imperio británico o los franceses, la conquista de América por parte de los pueblos de España dio lugar a una comunión de culturas sobre la que se apoya hoy Latinoamérica, aunque esto a su vez significara el fin de las ricas culturas precolombinas. Este hecho no evita que la conquista esté llena de hechos horrendos por parte de los conquistadores.
Sin duda, las matanzas y conquistas que se realizaron en América seguían el recorrido realizado de las conquistas castellanas de los territorios moros de España años atrás. Desde una visión contextual de la época, los conquistadores ganaban territorios para el rey Carlos y, en esta empresa de conquista al igual que en la reconquista de la Península, no podemos esperar hallar los valores y moralidad del hoy. No hay justificación, pero al leer esta historia, conviene que el lector debe hacer una concepción de los hechos desde los marcos de su momento histórico. Al igual que no hace falta exaltar estos hechos con orgullo patrio para desechar el análisis crítico y reforzar así ese nacionalismo ciego que acude a un revisionismo retorcido e interesado de la historia para justificar una suerte de impoluto currículum. La historia de estos hechos por parte de los españoles tiene su concepción en su momento e imaginarios de época y debe ser entendida como tal. Por ello, quien quiera forzarlos y arrastrarlos a la actualidad sin una visión crítica o desde un prisma actual, comete un grave error.
El libro está escrito de manera cronológica: tras una breve útil introducción contextual, Hugh Thomas narra la arribada de los españoles al Nuevo Mundo hasta la conquista de México-Tenochtitlán y, a pesar de la enormidad del libro, se lee de manera rápida, sobre todo, si uno consigue pasar sobre los numerosos nombres de personajes, ciudades y pueblos en lengua nahuatl sin tratar de pronunciarlos. La forma en la que se describen los hechos consigue transportar al lector a las fascinantes incursiones de los conquistadores en ignotos territorios y culturas.
Resulta inquietante que una historia tan interesante como la biografía de Hernán Cortés no sea más conocida por el ciudadano medio, y no hago referencia solo en España o Latinoamérica. Se sabe de Cristóbal Colón como descubridor de unas nuevas tierras, pero nada más que eso. La historia de Marina o la del conquistador y traductor por accidente Gerónimo de Aguilar son dignas de una superproducción. Fascina la cantidad de relatos recogidos de estos acontecimientos a pesar de la época y precariedad en la que se dan, así como de la pérdida de incalculables documentos y objetos de la época. Resulta complicado imaginar hoy la riqueza arquitectónica y cultural de Tenochtitlán en toda su grandeza y, aún así, siglos después sigue doliendo leer todo lo que se perdió tras la destrucción por parte de los españoles y sus aliados locales.
La historia de la conquista de México está llena de momentos trepidantes y temerarios que la hacen una historia tremendamente entretenida, como si de un libro de caballerías se tratara, pero a su vez el trasfondo es profundamente triste y frustrante. Los conquistadores llegaron a unas tierras e impusieron su voluntad para satisfacer sus codiciosas ansias de poder y riquezas. Para ello, no dudaron en aniquilar a todo aquel que opusiera resistencia. Hay hechos, como la caída final de Tenochtitlán y la muerte masiva de mexicas civiles que duelen al leerlo. Si bien, no se entendería jamás esta conquista sin la connivencia de otros pueblos del territorio, principalmente de los tlaxcaltecas que, en cierta manera, tuvieron un papel central en la matanza indiscriminada de mexicas, entre ellos, de mujeres y niños.
Hay una corriente de opinión que considera que la colonización de Latinoamérica por parte de los españoles fue un hecho genocida. Sin duda, la llegada de los españoles fue un acontecimiento que condujo a la reducción masiva de población, pero no hace falta ser historiador para darse cuenta que denominar genocidio a las acciones de aquellos quedan lejos de la realidad e intenciones de los españoles que llegaron a estas tierras. La conquista tenía como fin el enriquecimiento personal de los conquistadores y, por descontado, de la realeza y señoríos de los reinos de España. Para conseguirlo emplearon la explotación y brutales asesinatos, en algunos casos, especialmente duros como los llevados a cabo por algunos conquistadores como Alvarado. No obstante, en ningún caso el fin último de la conquista fue aniquilar a la población local que acabó diezmada en parte por las enfermedades que los conquistadores importaron y, por supuesto, también por el trato que se les dio en algunos momentos del proceso de colonización (véase Cuba y Jamaica en los inicios del siglo XVI). Con todo, hay declaraciones y hechos históricos reforzados con los años posteriores que dan a entender una intencionalidad totalmente contraria a la aniquilación de estos lugares y sus gentes.
A diferencia de otras potencias occidentales que realizaron incursiones en otros territorios para su colonización, como el Imperio británico o los franceses, la conquista de América por parte de los pueblos de España dio lugar a una comunión de culturas sobre la que se apoya hoy Latinoamérica, aunque esto a su vez significara el fin de las ricas culturas precolombinas. Este hecho no evita que la conquista esté llena de hechos horrendos por parte de los conquistadores.
Sin duda, las matanzas y conquistas que se realizaron en América seguían el recorrido realizado de las conquistas castellanas de los territorios moros de España años atrás. Desde una visión contextual de la época, los conquistadores ganaban territorios para el rey Carlos y, en esta empresa de conquista al igual que en la reconquista de la Península, no podemos esperar hallar los valores y moralidad del hoy. No hay justificación, pero al leer esta historia, conviene que el lector debe hacer una concepción de los hechos desde los marcos de su momento histórico. Al igual que no hace falta exaltar estos hechos con orgullo patrio para desechar el análisis crítico y reforzar así ese nacionalismo ciego que acude a un revisionismo retorcido e interesado de la historia para justificar una suerte de impoluto currículum. La historia de estos hechos por parte de los españoles tiene su concepción en su momento e imaginarios de época y debe ser entendida como tal. Por ello, quien quiera forzarlos y arrastrarlos a la actualidad sin una visión crítica o desde un prisma actual, comete un grave error.
September 6, 2023
On April 17, 1521, Martin Luther stood before the Diet of Worms. He refused to recant his teachings in terms that would knock Roman Christendom to pieces: “Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen.”
A month later, on the other side of the world, the Spanish conquistadors of Hernan Cortés opened their siege of the Mexican capital of Tenochtitlan. How different might our world be had Spain’s incursion been delayed until after European blood and treasure had been spent in the Wars of Religion?
Counterfactuals like this are impossible to answer, but they’re useful for understanding this pivot in global affairs. This is especially so when approaching the topic through Hugh Thomas’s unequaled history of the 16th-century fall of Mexico, a work as thorough as it is massive.
Thomas’s work is so enormous that, in my opinion, it’s unlikely to be surpassed for a long time, if ever. This is for now the definitive work on the collision that destroyed one empire and catapulted another to the level of a global superpower.
Such voluminous depth of detail (however well-written) can make it easy to miss how much turned on the character of a single man in the person of Hernan Cortés. This is one reason I indulge in counterfactuals as a useful tool for understanding the past.
The counterfactuals that most speak to me begin with Cortés’s ambition to subject the whole world to the scepter of Christ. This ambition was not unique to him. Centuries of Reconquista had forged Spanish confidence in themselves as God’s sword to usher in the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.
Cortés entered Mexican lands with no greater mandate than to open trading partnerships with the newly-discovered “islands” of Yucatan and Mexico. However, he quickly divined wider opportunities in the political instability of a Mexican empire built from blood and held by fear.
Without instructions, without support beyond his own men, Cortés changed the world. A dizzying campaign blending diplomacy with brute force culminated in the fall of Mexico to a coalition of Spaniards and local tribes which were only too eager to turn Tenochtitlan’s violence back on its head.
Evidence exists in Cortés’s letters that he cherished even greater ambitions. No one yet understood the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, and Cortés thought the riches of heathen China must be just over the horizon rather than a six-month galleon ride distant.
Cortés certainly intended to bring the Mexicans into vassalage and convert them to the true faith. However, Thomas remarks on circumstantial evidence that Cortés may also have toyed with the idea of incorporating them into a joint expeditionary force that would descend on China for the glory of God.
The prospect of Jaguar warriors wielding obsidian blades alongside Spanish steel and gunpowder to bring the Ming Dynasty under the banner of the Cross sounds absurd, but it would fit both the temper of Cortés and the methods he used to reduce Tenochtitlan. If this ever was the dream, smallpox killed it, not to mention untold scores of indigenous peoples.
Further, Thomas speculates that had Mexicans been resistant to foreign diseases, the course of Spanish Mexico might have looked more like that of British India: a small upper class of elites (sometimes intermarrying with the locals) exercising control over teeming, productive multitudes.
By the time India won its independence, the British had banned away its harsher edges, such as sati. What might it have meant for a thriving Mexico led by an indigenized aristocracy to throw off the Spanish yoke after a century or two, perhaps partly reviving ancient beliefs but without human sacrifice?
We’ll never know, but I think these counterfactuals are helpful to understand just how much these few years changed our world. Tolstoy didn’t buy the Great Man Theory of history, but I think we might live in a much different world had it not been for the energy of a minor captain with major vision.
A month later, on the other side of the world, the Spanish conquistadors of Hernan Cortés opened their siege of the Mexican capital of Tenochtitlan. How different might our world be had Spain’s incursion been delayed until after European blood and treasure had been spent in the Wars of Religion?
Counterfactuals like this are impossible to answer, but they’re useful for understanding this pivot in global affairs. This is especially so when approaching the topic through Hugh Thomas’s unequaled history of the 16th-century fall of Mexico, a work as thorough as it is massive.
Thomas’s work is so enormous that, in my opinion, it’s unlikely to be surpassed for a long time, if ever. This is for now the definitive work on the collision that destroyed one empire and catapulted another to the level of a global superpower.
Such voluminous depth of detail (however well-written) can make it easy to miss how much turned on the character of a single man in the person of Hernan Cortés. This is one reason I indulge in counterfactuals as a useful tool for understanding the past.
The counterfactuals that most speak to me begin with Cortés’s ambition to subject the whole world to the scepter of Christ. This ambition was not unique to him. Centuries of Reconquista had forged Spanish confidence in themselves as God’s sword to usher in the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.
Cortés entered Mexican lands with no greater mandate than to open trading partnerships with the newly-discovered “islands” of Yucatan and Mexico. However, he quickly divined wider opportunities in the political instability of a Mexican empire built from blood and held by fear.
Without instructions, without support beyond his own men, Cortés changed the world. A dizzying campaign blending diplomacy with brute force culminated in the fall of Mexico to a coalition of Spaniards and local tribes which were only too eager to turn Tenochtitlan’s violence back on its head.
Evidence exists in Cortés’s letters that he cherished even greater ambitions. No one yet understood the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, and Cortés thought the riches of heathen China must be just over the horizon rather than a six-month galleon ride distant.
Cortés certainly intended to bring the Mexicans into vassalage and convert them to the true faith. However, Thomas remarks on circumstantial evidence that Cortés may also have toyed with the idea of incorporating them into a joint expeditionary force that would descend on China for the glory of God.
The prospect of Jaguar warriors wielding obsidian blades alongside Spanish steel and gunpowder to bring the Ming Dynasty under the banner of the Cross sounds absurd, but it would fit both the temper of Cortés and the methods he used to reduce Tenochtitlan. If this ever was the dream, smallpox killed it, not to mention untold scores of indigenous peoples.
Further, Thomas speculates that had Mexicans been resistant to foreign diseases, the course of Spanish Mexico might have looked more like that of British India: a small upper class of elites (sometimes intermarrying with the locals) exercising control over teeming, productive multitudes.
By the time India won its independence, the British had banned away its harsher edges, such as sati. What might it have meant for a thriving Mexico led by an indigenized aristocracy to throw off the Spanish yoke after a century or two, perhaps partly reviving ancient beliefs but without human sacrifice?
We’ll never know, but I think these counterfactuals are helpful to understand just how much these few years changed our world. Tolstoy didn’t buy the Great Man Theory of history, but I think we might live in a much different world had it not been for the energy of a minor captain with major vision.
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