THE TRUE HISTORY OF THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO, Written in the Year 1568. Translated from the Original Spanish, By Maurice Keatinge Esq.

Diaz del Castillo Captain Bernal

Published by London Printed for J. Wright 1800

About this Item

First English Edition. Engraved map as frontispiece. Folio, bound in the original printer's paper over boards, housed in a gilt-lettered clamshell case. viii, 514, [1] errata, pp. A very good copy of this very rare example in original printer's boards, with some wear to the spine panel, the boards clean, interior in lovely condition some pages uncut. The clamshell case with wear to the edges of the spine, but quite solid otherwise. THE IMPORTANT FIRST EDITION IN ENGLISH. "Bernal Diaz del Castillo [1495-1584] was a Spanish soldier and author, who took part in the conquest of of the Aztec nation in Mexico. Diaz's account is written in an unassuming, colloquial style and has both historical and artistic value. It is also a sourcebook of idiomatic 16th-century Spanish." - Britannica In his later years, Castillo was an encomendero and governor in Guatemala where he wrote his memoirs called The True History of the Conquest of New Spain. He began his account of the conquest almost thirty years after the events and later revised and expanded it in response to Cortés letters to the king, which Castillo viewed as Cortés taking most of the credit for himself while minimizing the efforts and sacrifices of the other Spaniards and their indigenous allies during the expedition. In addition to this, Castillo disputed the biography published by Cortés' chaplain Francisco López de Gómara, which he considered to be largely inaccurate in that it also excessively glorified Cortés at the expense of the other soldiers. Castillo also took issue with the historical account published by the monk Bernardino de Sahagún, which he found to be overly sympathetic to the indigenous Americans, the Aztecs in particular. Like many of the conquistadors who participated in the Spanish colonization of the Americas, Castillo was discontent that he did not achieve the great wealth he had hoped for and felt the Spanish government had failed to acknowledge his efforts and had cheated him. Having completed his memoirs, Castillo died in Guatemala at the age of 92. Though written decades after the events described, and containing numerous inaccuracies and biases, Castillo s memoirs remain only one of two first-hand accounts of the Spanish overthrow of the Aztecs and are thus considered a valuable historical artifact. Attempting to explain the intentions and motivations of the Spaniards who arrived in Mexico, Castillo summarized it thusly: "We came to serve God and to get rich, as all men wish to do." wiki. Seller Inventory # 33568

Bibliographic Details

Title: THE TRUE HISTORY OF THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO, ...

Publisher: London Printed for J. Wright 1800

Binding: Hardcover

Edition: 1st Edition