Mexico and the Spanish Conquest

by Ross Hassig

Book Overview

What role did indigenous peoples play in the Spanish conquest of Mexico? Ross Hassig explores this question in Mexico and the Spanish Conquest by incorporating primary accounts from the Indians of Mexico and revisiting the events of the conquest against the backdrop of the Aztec empire, the culture and politics of Mesoamerica, and the military dynamics of both sides. He analyzes the weapons, tactics, and strategies employed by both the Indians...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0806137932
• ISBN13: 9780806137933
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.73 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.6" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

New research for this updated edition.

Ross Hassig's MEXICO AND THE SPANISH CONQUEST appears in its second updated edition to cover the role indigenous peoples played in the Spanish conquest of Mexico. Primary sources display the experiences of the Indians of Mexico and survey the politics, economics, and social history of both peoples and their interactions, adding new research for this updated edition. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch

loss of a culture

Hassig gives a new telling of how Mexico fell to the Spaniards. A tale of courage and brutality. The reader can certainly see bravery in the saga of how a relatively few conquistadors managed to outthink and outfight the Aztec empire. We also see glimpses into the character and resourcefulness of Hernan Cortes. And there is no shirking of the methods by which the Aztecs held together their empire, with the well known customs of human sacrifices. But the book also shows that Cortes and his men could on occasion match the Aztecs for savage behaviour. There is somewhat of a sense of loss in the narrative. That much of the Aztec culture is now irretrievably gone. So different from the European societies of that time.