First published in 1928. 'Something more than an historical document of the first importance...his narrative is so readable that one's interest and admiration are equally divided between the stupendous events he records and the charming revelations of his own character.' Saturday Review. Four eye-witnesses of the discovery and conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards have left written records, but of these the present volume and the letters of Cortes (Volume 14) are by far the most important.

First published in 1928.
'Something more than an historical document of the first importance...his narrative is so readable that one's interest and admiration are equally divided between the stupendous events he records and the charming revelations of his own character.' Saturday Review.
Four eye-witnesses of the discovery and conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards have left written records, but of these the present volume and the letters of Cortes (Volume 14) are by far the most important.

Bernal Diaz del Castillo nacio en Medina del Campo, en 1495, y murio en Guatemala. Hijo de Francisco Diaz del Castillo, regidor de su ciudad natal, y de Maria Diez Rejon. Viajo a America acompanado de Pedrarias Davila y estuvo en las expediciones de Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba y Juan de Grijalva. Participo con Hernan Cortes en la conquista de Nueva Espana, y estuvo en la Noche triste, y en el asedio de Tenochtitlan, siendo herido de gravedad en Tlascala. Despues vivio en la ciudad de Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala y alli se caso con Teresa de Becerra, hija del conquistador de Guatemala. En 1552, a los setenta y dos anos, empezo a escribir una de las cronicas mas completas sobre la conquista de Mexico: Historia verdadera de la Conquista de la Nueva Espana. Diaz del Castillo fue regidor de Santiago durante mas de treinta anos y murio alli en 1584.

Bernal Diaz del Castillo nacio en Medina del Campo, en 1495, y murio en Guatemala. Hijo de Francisco Diaz del Castillo, regidor de su ciudad natal, y de Maria Diez Rejon. Viajo a America acompanado de Pedrarias Davila y estuvo en las expediciones de Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba y Juan de Grijalva. Participo con Hernan Cortes en la conquista de Nueva Espana, y estuvo en la Noche triste, y en el asedio de Tenochtitlan, siendo herido de gravedad en Tlascala. Despues vivio en la ciudad de Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala y alli se caso con Teresa de Becerra, hija del conquistador de Guatemala. En 1552, a los setenta y dos anos, empezo a escribir una de las cronicas mas completas sobre la conquista de Mexico: Historia verdadera de la Conquista de la Nueva Espana. Diaz del Castillo fue regidor de Santiago durante mas de treinta anos y murio alli en 1584.

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 focuses on the experiences of the common soldier. 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. Volume 1, in which Diaz recounts his first two expeditions to the Yucatan coast and the beginning of his service in Cortes' army, contains chapters 1-81 and includes part of Garcia's 1904 introduction to his edition.

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 focuses on the experiences of the common soldier. 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 focuses on the complex relationships that developed between the Spaniards and the Aztec emperor Montezuma on the army's arrival in Mexico. It contains chapters 82-136 and a key to the maps that appear at http://www.cambridge.org/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9781108017060.

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.

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 final volume contains chapters 174-214 and historical appendices by the editor. Diaz describes the aftermath of the Mexican conquest, and outlines how the Spanish established their authority over the land and its inhabitants.

Ideally suited for use in swift-moving surveys of World, Atlantic, and Latin American history, this abridgment of Ted Humphrey and Janet Burke's 2012 translation of the True History provides key excerpts from Diaz's text and concise summaries of omitted passages. Included in this edition is a new preface outlining the social, economic, and political forces that motivated the European discovery of the New World.

Ideally suited for use in swift-moving surveys of World, Atlantic, and Latin American history, this abridgment of Ted Humphrey and Janet Burke's 2012 translation of the True History provides key excerpts from Diaz's text and concise summaries of omitted passages. Included in this edition is a new preface outlining the social, economic, and political forces that motivated the European discovery of the New World.

This rugged new translation--the first entirely new English translation in half a century and the only one based on the most recent critical edition of the Guatemalan MS--allows Diaz to recount, in his own battle-weary and often cynical voice, the achievements, stratagems, and frequent cruelty of Hernando Cortes and his men as they set out to overthrow Moctezuma's Aztec kingdom and establish a Spanish empire in the New World. The concise contextual introduction to this volume traces the origins, history, and methods of the Spanish enterprise in the Americas; it also discusses the nature of the conflict between the Spanish and the Aztecs in Mexico, and compares Diaz's version of events to those of other contemporary chroniclers. Editorial glosses summarize omitted portions, and substantial footnotes explain those terms, names, and cultural references in Diaz's text that may be unfamiliar to modern readers. A chronology of the Conquest is included, as are a guide to major figures, a select bibliography, and three maps.

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, 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 1 contains an introduction by the editor, the influential Mexican historian and book-collector Genaro Garcia (1867-1920), a table of variant readings, and chapters 1-139 of the text.

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 contains chapters 140-214 and the index to both volumes.

 ‘Whenever we fired our guns, the Indians gave great shouts and whistles, and threw up straw and earth so that we could not see what harm we had done them’

Vivid, powerful and absorbing, this is a first-person account of one of the most startling military episodes in history: the overthrow of Montezuma’s doomed Aztec Empire by the ruthless Hernan Cortes and his band of adventurers. Bernal Díaz del Castillo, himself a soldier under Cortes, presents a fascinatingly detailed description of the Spanish landing in Mexico in 1520 and their amazement at the city, the exploitation of the natives for gold and other treasures, the expulsion and flight of the Spaniards, their regrouping and eventual capture of the Aztec capital. The Conquest of New Spain has a compelling immediacy that brings the past and its characters to life and offers a unique eye-witness view of the conquest of one of the greatest civilizations in the New World.

J. M. Cohen’s translation is supplemented by an introduction and maps of the conquered territory.