Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest

Description

This vividly written and authoritative book offers an updated account of the activities of the best-known conquistadors and explorers, including Columbus, Cortés, and Pizarro, and reveals the true stories behind the key events in the history of the Americas.

• Offers a fresh account of the activities of the best-known conquistadors and explorers, including Columbus, Cortés, and Pizarro
• Using a wide array of sources, historian Matthew Restall provides a richer and more nuanced account of a key event in the history of the Americas
• Updated edition timed to coincide with the 500th anniversary of the conquest of Mexico

About the Author(s)

Matthew Restall, Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Latin American History, Women's Studies, and Anthropology and Director of Latin American Studies, Pennsylvania State University

Matthew Restall is the Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Latin American History, Women's Studies, and Anthropology and Director of Latin American Studies at Pennsylvania State University. He is the author of numerous books, including Maya Conquistador, The Conquistadors: A Very Short Introduction (OUP, 2012), and When Montezuma Met Cortés: The True Story of the Meeting That Changed History.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Lost Words of Bernal Diaz
Ch 1 A Handful of Adventurers: The Myth of Exceptional Men
Ch 2 Neither Paid Nor Forced: The Myth of the King's Army
Ch 3 Invisible Warriors: The Myth of the White Conquistador
Ch 4 Under the Lordship of the King: The Myth of Completion
Ch 5 The Lost Words of La Malinche: The Myth of (Mis)Communication
Ch 6 The Indians Are Coming to an End: The Myth of Native Desolation
Ch 7 Apes and Men: The Myth of Superiority
Epilogue: Cuauhtemoc's Betrayal
Afterword
Permissions
Notes
References
Index

Reviews

"Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest is an engaging and highly readable account of the history of the conquest of the Amerias." - Jennifer Jobb, Against the Current

"A daring revisionist critique.... Restall's provocative analysis, wide-ranging scholarship and lucid prose make this a stimulating contribution to the debate on one of history's great watersheds." - Publishers Weekly

"This is an important book. It should be read by all high school world history teachers, and by professors of the same....a powerful indictment of the myths that we all inadvertently rely on to explain a complex and distant period. It will undoubtedly stir up a discussion about the reality of these myths and what others might find in both popular and scholarly writing in this field, and others." - John F. Schwaller, American Historical Review

"Rejecting the conventional hierarchy that placed 'subhuman' Indians below 'superhuman'' Europeans, Matthew Restall's re-examination of the Spanish conquest portrays a far more complex process in which Indians were central participants on both sides of the struggle." - The Economist

"Matthew Restall has written a serious and important book, but one that is also delightful as it addresses issues about the Spanish conquest that have long intrigued scholars....It serves the needs of Latin Americanists who have not kept up with the latest literature on the subject, as well as the many scholars who address the conquest in their writings." - John E. Kicza, Renaissance Quarterly