History of the Conquest of Mexico by William H. Prescott (PDF)

Description

The Aztec Empire was one of the most remarkable civilizations to have ever existed.In 1519, Hernándo Cortés landed on the Gulf Coast, and two years later the Aztec civilization was a shadow of its former self.The Spanish must have appeared invincible, with their Tlascalan allies, armoured pikemen, musketeers with gunpowder and mounted cavalry.But the conquest of Mexico was no simple process for the Spanish conquistadors.The Aztecs threw everything they had against their invaders. They fought in ferocious battles and committed bloody slaughter all under the fierce leadership of Montezuma.It was only through Spanish persistence that they pushed through the region conquering as they went. What stands out in Prescott’s masterful history of Mexico’s conquest is his sketches of the various instrumental figures involved, from Montezuma to Cortés and his lieutenants.“The sheer accumulation of substantiated detail is propelled forward by Prescott’s unsparing identification with the fundamentally tragic nature of the conflict…. He has intuited that the “conquest” of Mexico was, in fact, the unsuccessful enterprise of grafting one civilization upon another.” – The Los Angeles Times Sunday Book ReviewWilliam H. Prescott published his History of the Conquest of Mexico in 1843 and The New York Times stated that it “has remained surprisingly unsurpassed since its publication.” Prescott was one of the most eminent historians of the 19th century. He died in 1859.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐This book was published in 1843, but reads 100 years ahead of its time. Yes, it’s full of descriptions and usages that would be be considered abhorrent today, but despite the “Christians vs. savages” tone, the author takes a much for sympathetic view of the indigenous people than he’s often given credit for, while casting a withering gaze at the excesses of the Spanish.The detail and the scholarship that went into this book remain unimpeachable, and I felt myself caught up in the horrible drama of it all, an improbable story that changed the whole trajectory of human history. I haven’t read all that is out there regarding Cortez, the Aztecs, and the blood that resulted from this meeting, but I can’t imagine a better history has been penned.

⭐This is an invaluable history but there are several criticisms of Prescott’s work about which the reader must be forewarned at the outset.His style is clearly dated but that style remains appealing in its language, constructions and erudition to this reader. Furthermore, for the modern reader Prescott is clearly limited to those primary sources that were available in the mid 19th C (Bernal Diaz, Cortes’ own letters, various Codices, etc.) when the book was published in 1843. Perhaps most significantly, Prescott is clearly a captive of many of the prejudices of his era with regards to race, civilization and colonialism. Nevertheless, the story he tells is a riveting one and his grasp of the flora, fauna and topography of Mexico is astonishing. One emerges from this long at times tortuous recounting with a vivid picture of the personalities and intrigues of the participants.

⭐History worth knowing.

⭐The author, writes this historical story as though he is standing next Herman Cortes in his journey to discover and seize new lands for Spain and the Roman Catholic Church (Christianity). The author loves Cortez and the violent journey he led. It was difficult reading for me as the writer graphically imposed upon a reader the horrific destruction of the “Aztec” people’s in order to impose Christianity upon them and place the cross upon their lands. This is a historical accounting our history books should present. I was sickened and still I could not put this book down. I will most likely read it again and again as I share this book with history teachers and professors of history. Now, I fully accept the data identifying the death of 100 million Indigenous peoples by the invasion of the Europeans.

⭐William Prescott is regarded as the first American historian. He presents a strongly Cortes view, spiced by many conjectured inner courage monologs at times of crisis. The author attributes the ultimate success against overwhelming numbers to Cortes’s clever military strategy, making optimum use of his superior weapons, and his success at incorporating native armies opposed to prior domination by the central Aztecs. Modern scholars sometimes give more weight to decimation of the Aztec population by smallpox during the 2 years between Cortes’ original landing and his ultimate victory. Nevertheless, the whole story is so vivid that one wonders what the world might look like today if there had been a Cortes of North America.

⭐interesting, a little bit old style of writting.

⭐I was surprised to see that the book was written in 1843, before the Mexican War. The author did not use much of the stilted language of that time and the book is easy to read. There are some words used which are now obscure, but the context is usually clear It a long book, but very complete with a lot of insight of the people involved and the times. I don’t know if later research would change any of the story, but it is a good overall history.

⭐The author, in an admittedly dated style, gives a detailed story of how Cortes came back from the brink of defeat, over and over to finally triumph in a enormous bloodbath and conquer Mexico . I doubt if few people have any idea of what he went through… on the other hand, I doubt if many people have any idea what the Mexicans went through, which was far worse. In the book the reader roots for Cortes as he decimates a whole civilization, in the name of God…. Makes you wonder!!!Regardless, it is a detailed and fascinating story of perseverance in the face incredible odds.

⭐A historical classic on par with The Decline and fall of the Roman Empire by gibbon. The language is majestic and the book harks back to another age. The 21st century seems so dull, boring, standardised and commoditised compared to the dangerous and exciting world of the conquistadores. No doubt such men destroyed an entire civilisation and committed many cruelties. However we cannot judge them by 21st century yardsticks. Besides the Aztics were even more brutal with their sacrifice of live humans. This tale is so fantastic that it is hard to imagine that these events really took place.

⭐Pretty interesting book about Mexico’s History and you can read pretty easy in your notebook thanks to Amazon Cloud Reader.

⭐gostei muito pois o conhecimento nunca é demasiado. recomendo. voltarei a comprar……….Worth every penny!!

⭐Impresionante relató sobre la vida y conquistas de Hernán Cortés. Obligatorio para aquellos que exijan una visión imparcial y detallada. Escrito con una brillante y sencilla prosa. Imprescindible

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