Conquest: Cortes, Montezuma, and the Fall of Old Mexico

HT has written a valuable and imminently readable history. The pace is quick for the most part but deliberate when necessary. His diction is not that of Prescott's but carefully chosen to captivate the reader nonetheless. It makes good reading. HT also presents a good story. For example, I know La Noche Triste is coming; you know its coming. But HT builds up the suspense effectively and then unleashes the battle upon us in a pitched and dynamic portrayal of tenacity, courage, and elan. Notwithstanding the errors alleged by other reviewers, I found Conquest to be immensely enjoyable. For both the novice and scholar interested in ancient Mexico, this is a wonderful epic and exhilirating read.

Ask a friend or an average person this:"Regarding empires of the past, what countries come to your mind?" His most likely answer would be Rome,Greece,Egypt,China or Persia. He may or may not go further to include Turkey(Ottoman),Mongolia, Japan or Britain. Ask him where the Pyramid of the Sun (which is in Mexico) is and his reply would probably be Egypt or somewhere there. Yet how many AVERAGE person would give an answer of the Aztec Empire in Mexico or Inca Empire in Peru? None to not many,I'll bet. Yet these empires created by North and South American Indians, completely isolated from the Western and Eastern worlds,were discovered in their magnificent splendor beyond the wildest imagination of the first Europeans(the Spanish)who witnessed them! HughThomas'"CONQUEST" describes in detail those feelings of the Spanish Conquistadors when they entered Tenochtitlan,the Aztec capital,an incredible city beyond their imagination of any city in Spain or Europe that they had ever seen. In fact,many of the Conquistadors and accompanying friars themselves were wondering if they were dreaming,as recorded in their diaries, chronicles, letters to Spain and their documentss called codices! Hugh Thomas did a splendid job in his exhaustively researched "CONQUEST", written like a fantasy trip to the unkown yet so remarkable in the authenticity and undisputability of its existence in America. The reader of the book will share with both conquerors and conquered their feelings,their hardships, their sorrow,fears of the unknown,blood curdling human sacrifices,their battles,victories and defeats,death and destinies.Made more incredible by the FACT of how a "handful" of Spaniards(300 to 400)led by Hernan Cortes strategically managed to conquer a million or more fierce Aztec warriors ruled by the Aztec Emperor Montezuma.These events were recorded by the Spanish conquistadors corroborated by records(codices) of the Aztec Indians themselves. What is Hollywood and Steven Spielberg waiting for? Are we not too saturated with movies of the Roman Empire,Greece,Troy,Alexander the Great, Egypt,etc? Why not let the AVERAGE American,North and South,be more aware of the existence of fantastic huge empires in their own continent (the NEW WORLD)? C'mon Spielberg and Hollywood! The conquest of Mexico, and even that of Peru,would be fabulous colorful,and not to say the least, DRAMATIC blockbusters! In the meantime, we can just read Hugh Thomas' outstanding book,"CONQUEST".

I can't praise this book enough. The story of the Spanish Conquest of Mexico through Cortez is unbelievably compelling. Even so, Mr. Thomas writes brilliantly and tells this story better than I have ever seen, read, or heard it done. He brings life to all of the characters along the way including those that came before Cortez, those that he met and made allies along the way, those he turned into enemies, and especially Montezuma. The final battle for Tenochtitlan is frightening and heartbreaking. This is history that reads like fiction. The world of Mexico before the Conquistadors is so foreign to the Western mind that it reads almost like fiction or fantasy. Yet it all happened, and Mr. Thomas tells it with power and passion. This is a book you owe it to yourself to read. Just amazing and wonderful.

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

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.