Series:

Cambridge Library Collection - Latin American Studies

1 primary work • 3 total works

Volume 2

Cover of Historia Verdadera de la Conquista de la Nueva España
Bernal Díaz del Castillo (1492–1584) was a foot soldier in the army of Mexico's conqueror Hernán Cortés. The first edition of his True History of the Conquest of New Spain (as it was entitled in a later English translation) was published in Madrid in 1632 from a manuscript copy sent to Spain shortly after the author's death. Written in a highly accessible style, and describing the experiences of the troops themselves rather than seeing events from an officer's perspective, the work became even more successful than the official accounts and went through many editions and translations. The two-volume edition reissued here was first published in 1904 and is considered a more reliable text, as it was based on the original manuscript preserved in Guatemala City. Volume 2 contains chapters 140–214 and the index to both volumes.

Cover of Historia Verdadera de la Conquista de la Nueva Espana 2 Volume Set
Bernal Diaz del Castillo (1492-1584) was a foot soldier in the army of Mexico's conqueror Hernan Cortes. The first edition of his True History of the Conquest of New Spain (as it was entitled in a later English translation) was published in Madrid in 1632 from a manuscript copy sent to Spain shortly after the author's death. Written in a highly accessible style, and describing the experiences of the troops themselves rather than seeing events from an officer's perspective, the work became even more successful than the official accounts and went through many editions and translations. The two-volume edition reissued here was first published in 1904 and is considered a more reliable text, as it was based on the original manuscript preserved in Guatemala City.

Volume 2/3

Cover of The True History of the Conquest of New Spain
Bernal Diaz del Castillo (1492-1584) was a foot soldier in the army of Mexico's conqueror Hernan Cortes, and participated in the campaigns that led to the fall of the Aztec empire in 1521. This 1928 translation of his journals derives from the 1904 edition by the Mexican historian Genaro Garcia - the first edition based on the original manuscript. Written as a corrective to accounts that overemphasised Cortes' exploits, Diaz's epic includes the experiences of the common soldier: hardship, thirst, long marches and unexpected attacks by rebels. The most complete contemporary chronicle of the Mexican conquest, this important historical document is also a captivating adventure narrative that combines factual accuracy with many dramatic anecdotes. This volume, containing chapters 137-173, describes the fall of Mexico. An appendix prepared by the editor provides a timeline of the 1521 siege based on both Diaz's and Cortes' accounts of the event.