Publisher Description
It was a moment unique in human history, the face-to-face meeting between two men from civilizations a world apart. In 1519, Hernán Cortés arrived on the shores of Mexico, determined not only to expand the Spanish expire but to convert the natives to Catholicism and carry off a fortune in gold. That he saw nothing paradoxical in his intentions is one of the most remarkable and tragic aspects of this unforgettable story. In Tenochtitlán, Cortés met his Aztec counterpart, Montezuma: king, divinity, and commander of the most powerful military in the Americas. Yet in less than two years, Cortés defeated the entire Aztec nation in one of the most astounding battles ever waged.
The story of a lost kingdom, a relentless conqueror, and a doomed warrior, Conquistador is history at its most riveting.
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“Truth stranger than fiction.
Entertaining and well researched pop history that brings to life Cortez’s absolutely astounding feat of the terrorisation and subjugation of a whole alien civilisation in just a little over 2 years.
What it took, the incredible confluence of factors required to enable an original handful of less than 500 Spaniards to conquer a culture who outnumbered them 1000s:1 is as absolutely astonishing and incredible as the conquests of Alexander, Gengis Khan or the rise to power of Hitler & Nazis Germany.
Levy tilts at a noticeably Eurocentric bias here, but also gives time to chronicle the cruelty, self-serving hypocrisy and cultural pomposity which underlay the whole sordid business with a rather refreshing lack of political correctness.”
—
Alex (4 out of 5 stars)
