Description
Book SynopsisAn update of a popular work that takes on the myths of the Spanish Conquest of the Americas, featuring a new afterword.Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest reveals how the Spanish invasions in the Americas have been conceived and presented, misrepresented and misunderstood, in the five centuries since Columbus first crossed the Atlantic. This book is a unique and provocative synthesis of ideas and themes that were for generations debated or perpetuated without question in academic and popular circles. The 2003 edition became the foundation stone of a scholarly turn since called The New Conquest History. Each of the book''s seven chapters describes one myth, or one aspect of the Conquest that has been distorted or misrepresented, examines its roots, and explodes its fallacies and misconceptions. Using a wide array of primary and secondary sources, written in a scholarly but readable style, Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest explains why Columbus did not set out to prove the world was round, the conquistadors were not soldiers, the native Americans did not take them for gods, Cortés did not have a unique vision of conquest procedure, and handfuls of vastly outnumbered Spaniards did not bring down great empires with stunning rapidity. Conquest realities were more complex--and far more fascinating--than conventional histories have related, and they featured a more diverse cast of protagonists-Spanish, Native American, and African. This updated edition of a key event in the history of the Americas critically examines the book''s arguments, how they have held up, and why they prompted the rise of a New Conquest History.
Trade ReviewSeven Myths of the Spanish Conquest is an engaging and highly readable account of the history of the conquest of the Amerias. * Jennifer Jobb, Against the Current *
A daring revisionist critique.... Restall's provocative analysis, wide-ranging scholarship and lucid prose make this a stimulating contribution to the debate on one of history's great watersheds. * Publishers Weekly *
This is an important book. It should be read by all high school world history teachers, and by professors of the same....a powerful indictment of the myths that we all inadvertently rely on to explain a complex and distant period. It will undoubtedly stir up a discussion about the reality of these myths and what others might find in both popular and scholarly writing in this field, and others. * John F. Schwaller, American Historical Review *
Rejecting the conventional hierarchy that placed 'subhuman' Indians below 'superhuman'' Europeans, Matthew Restall's re-examination of the Spanish conquest portrays a far more complex process in which Indians were central participants on both sides of the struggle. * The Economist *
Matthew Restall has written a serious and important book, but one that is also delightful as it addresses issues about the Spanish conquest that have long intrigued scholars....It serves the needs of Latin Americanists who have not kept up with the latest literature on the subject, as well as the many scholars who address the conquest in their writings. * John E. Kicza, Renaissance Quarterly *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: The Lost Words of Bernal Diaz Ch 1 A Handful of Adventurers: The Myth of Exceptional Men Ch 2 Neither Paid Nor Forced: The Myth of the King's Army Ch 3 Invisible Warriors: The Myth of the White Conquistador Ch 4 Under the Lordship of the King: The Myth of Completion Ch 5 The Lost Words of La Malinche: The Myth of (Mis)Communication Ch 6 The Indians Are Coming to an End: The Myth of Native Desolation Ch 7 Apes and Men: The Myth of Superiority Epilogue: Cuauhtemoc's Betrayal Afterword Permissions Notes References Index
