Description

Bernal Díaz del Castillo (1492-1584) was a foot soldier in the army of Mexico's conqueror Hernán Cortés, and participated in the campaigns that led to the fall of the Aztec empire in 1521. This 1928 translation of his journals by Alfred P. Maudslay derives from the 1904 edition by the Mexican historian Genaro García - the first edition based on the original manuscript. Written as a corrective to accounts that overemphasised Cortés' exploits, Díaz's epic includes the experiences of the common soldier: hardship, thirst, long marches and unexpected attacks by rebels. The fullest surviving eyewitness account of the Mexican conquest, this important historical document is also a captivating adventure narrative that combines factual accuracy with a wealth of dramatic anecdotes. It covers the period 1519-1522, from Díaz's first visit to Yucatán to the defeat of the Aztecs and the establishment of Spanish rule.