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Title: Conquest: Montezuma, Cortes, and the Fall of Old Mexico by Hugh Thomas ISBN: 0671511041 Publisher: Touchstone Books Pub. Date: April, 1995 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $20.00 Amazon Price(USD): $14.00

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Average Customer Rating: 4.64706

Rating: 5
Summary: WORTHY UPDATE OF PRESCOTT'S CLASSIC
Comment: This book is a history of the Spanish conquest of the Mexica (Aztec)people during the first decades of the sixteenth century. Although Thomas' writing style is that of the typical historian, the story is nothing short of spellbinding. Thomas presents a balanced account of one of the greatest adventure stories in human history. The central character is Hernan Cortez, one of the most complex, brilliant and cruel men who ever walked the planet. Thomas also manages to provide a balanced account of Cortez' counterpart, Montezuma, and his religious, political and economic culture. If Steven Spielberg or someone of equal talent were to make a movie of this story it would certainly be one of the greatest motion pictures of all time. Dense but spellbinding. My hat is off to Thomas for a job well done. Hightly recommended reading

Rating: 5
Summary: A fascinating account of an astonishing event.
Comment: Anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of history cannot but be astounded by the 16th century conquest by Hernan Cortez of the Aztec Empire or, as Thomas prefers, the "Mexica:" a comparitive handful of adventurers, thousands of miles from home and almost completely bereft of tactical or logistical support, subjugated utterly a society considered, at least by its citizens and vassals, as unconquerable. Readers of Thomas' book are already likely to be familiar with Diaz' "Conquest of New Spain" and, perhaps, with Landa's "Relacion." Drawing on these, and hundreds of other primary and secondary sources, emanating from both sides of the conflict, Thomas transforms himself into the proverbial "fly on the wall" to produce an amazing chronical of the destruction, virtually overnight, of the Mexica. In so doing, Thomas examines the personalities, and motivations, of the dramatis personae, among them the audacious Cortez; Pedro Alvarado, Cortez' lieutenant, whose, precipitous actions while Cortez was absent from the Mexican capital brought about the wholesale warfare that culminated in the destruction of an exotic civilization virtually without parallel in world history; Diego Velazquez, governor of Cuba and intractable enemy of Cortez; Montezuma II, enigmatic emperor of the Mexica, whose mercurial relationship with his conquerors has puzzled scholars from the time of the Conquest until the present day; and the Emperor Charles, largely ignorant of, or indifferent to, the spectacular accomplishments of his Spanish subjects in the New World. Thomas' chronicle convinces us that, considered simply as a military leader, Cortez compares favorably, in the context of his time, with Caesar, Alexander, Miltiades, and Salah al-Din. More important than military prowess, however, was Cortez' personal charisma and oratorical skill. It was these that enabled him to gain the allegience of other indigenous Indian populations who hated, yet feared, the Mexica. The practical benefit of these alliances was twofold, viz, Cortez' Indian allies became indispensible soldiers and laborers and their allegience eliminated the possiblity of a "two front" war," which Cortez, because of his limited resources, simply could not afford to wage. Cortez' considerable personal charisma also enabled him to quell nascent rebellions among his own men and to win the confidence, and support, of other conquistodores, sent by his enemies to arrest him. Thomas' work is also noteworthy for its deliberate objectivity: the Spanish are not summarily excoriated as villians, nor the Mexica portrayed as helpless victims. The Mexica , as they well knew, were a complex and sophisticated society, very far from the "noble savages" of Rousseau. In the end, of course, the Mexica fell to the conquistodores. No matter what may be said about the technological superiority of the Europeans (after all, it is argued, the Spanish had the horse, gunpowder, and steel weapons), or about the devastating effect of Old World diseases on the native populations of Mexico, the birth, and ultimate death, of the Mexica sprang from the same wellspring: a rigid, highly structured social order bound to inflexible traditions. Cortez perceived this, exploited it to his advantage, and changed history. [ BUY ITEMS NOW | VIEW YOUR SHOPPING BASKET ] [ Home | Search | Browse | Eyes | Editors | Customer Service | Send Us E-Mail | FAQ ] Copyright © 1996, 1997 Amazon.com, Inc. Send us e-mail

Rating: 5
Summary: An incredibly researched and thorough history.
Comment: Conquest is the absolutely complete story of the yielding of one great empire to another. British historian Hugh Thomas has assembled an awe inspiring account of the backgrounds of Hernan Cortés, and his counterpart, the Emperor of the Mexica (Mesheeca, the author does not refer to them as Aztec, preferring to use the named they had for themselves) Montezuma II. Thomas painstakingly details events that led up to the confrontation between the two. He maps the Spanish invasion and manipulation of New Spain and Mexico. He adeptly details the political climate of Spain, and of her conquered territories of Hispaniola, and Cuba. With texture and substance, this extraordinary time is shown in the context in which it was meant to be presented. The search for gold played a tremendous role in the conquest of Mexico, and Thomas does not shy away from exploring the insatiable appetite the Conquistadors had for this precious metal. This desire baffled the Mexicans, for they only recognized the ritualistic and artistic value of gold. Human sacrifice is an element that played a large part in the Castilians' revulsion towards the Mexicans. This practice dehumanized the Mexicans in the eyes of the Castilians. The author does not shrink from a discussion of this practice, either. In short, Conquest is an in depth, incredibly researched and thorough undertaking that will remain as the definitive work of this event. I recommend it for any history buff, or anyone who is curious as to why Latin America and especially Mexico are the way they are today.

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