Customer Reviews

The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This is an excellent primary source of information written fron the Aztecs viewpoint. Bernal Diaz's book is an excellent companion study to compare the different perspectives of both primary parties involved. The illustrations and the narrative are very elementary, an easy read with simple drawings to compliment the text. The viewpoint, which is the Aztecs is interesting and different from what you might suppose. If you are intersted in Pre-Columbian culture in Mexico this is a fundamental book covering the Conquest of Mexico. For a balanced view read this along with Bernal Diaz's book to get a complete picture from participants of that fateful time in history when the Old World collided with the New World to create a new culture. A must have book for anyone into Mexico and it's roots.

There are two sides to every story, and in history you usually only hear the victor's side. In standard Western-based histories of the Spanish conquest of Mexico, you are usually only told that Cortes and a few hundred valiant soldiers easily conquered the Aztec empire of several hundred thousand people. Another fallacy is that the Aztecs rolled over so easily because they thought the white men were gods returning from the sea. As can be seen in this book, this was true at first, but most of the Aztecs (except for the priests) quickly changed their opinion on the Spaniards when they saw their brutality and greed. The Spaniards also weren't such efficient conquerors - they had help from many thousands of natives who were the historical enemies of the Aztecs, especially the Tlaxcaltecas and Tezcocanos (they suffered just the same in the long run). Not to mention a handy smallpox epidemic that killed off a large chunk of the native population. This book (and countless others) shows that the soldiers were not driven by religious valor, hoping to save people in God's good name. Instead, they were driven by a greed for gold so virulent that they cried when they saw it, and a lust for heroism that could only be obtained through violent conquest.

This book is a useful introduction to the native view of this important event. After reading these accounts along with more traditional history texts, you will have sufficient knowledge of both sides of the story to reach your own balanced conclusions. Portilla mostly avoids editorializing (except for a few slip-ups), and simply presents the native accounts without embellishment. A bonus is the chapter covering the literature of the modern descendents of the Aztecs, now called Nahuas, proving that the conquest is still a strong influence on the resilient culture of these people. The problems with this book include the self-serving and rather pompous intro by Klor de Alva, plus an under-representation of the native texts. Portilla has unearthed much important material, but only presents small excerpts here, as if he packaged the book merely for entertainment rather than scholarly value. More would definitely be better in this case.

This work provides native Aztec tellings of the Spanish conquest under Cortez. The selections are presented chronologically, with typically two versions of each incident. The book itself is well done and not difficult to read, with some copies of native illustrations. Although this work cannot be compared to the vivid, first person account of Diaz, it does provide some interesting inside information on the Aztec reaction and their first impressions of the new arrivals. The final chapter brings the struggle of the native vanquished to light by quoting written sources through the 20th century. Unfortunately making the historical implications much too political. Still it is a well done and thoughtful book.

I got this book because I find pre-columbian Mesoamerica fascinating, and I also enjoy the vivid clash of cultures which occured when the Spaniards arrived there. This book describes the conflict between the Aztecs and Spaniards superbly! This book is somewhat unique among histories because it takes the point of view of the vanquished rather than the victors. It starts from before the Spaniards arrive with eerie premonitions of eminent doom to the fall of Tenochtitlan and the suffering associated with that, then proceeds to give a short account of the plight of the native Nahuas after the conquest. Leon-Portilla uses a vast array of native sources from the Florentine Codex to the Cantares Mexicanos(which consists of Native American songs about the conquest), and combines them to create a lively and pleasant read, and its fairly short length add to its overall unburdensome style. In fact for me this book was harder not to read than to read. The tale is full of lively adventure, fascinting omens and cultural tidbits(such as the Aztec dedication to human sacrifice and their belief that the Spaniards were gods), violence, and sorrow. This book is a must for the Aztec fan, the conquistador fan, or anyone who likes an engaging story that just happens to be history.

The Broken Spears is the story of the conquest of Mexico, as told by the conquered: the citizens of Tenochtitlan and Tlatelolco. It's a beautiful book that reads something like an epic, with all the elements of tragedy, comedy and poetry. The passages are taken from different accounts and codices and translated into English.

It starts out with the omens foretelling the coming of the Spaniards and ends with the elegies on the fallen city. There are quite a few illustrations and poems, all of which are beautiful. Some of the accounts read somewhat contradictorily, but I suppose that is to be expected, as most of these accounts were probably recorded orally.

If you are at all interested in the history of the Aztecs, Mexico or Cortes, this book is a must read. It's not so often we get such a glimpse into a conquered people, and this book is a great compliment to books such as The Conquest of New Spain by Bernal Diaz.

This is a great book to read along with Bernal Diaz's Conquest of Mexico/New Spain. Told from a variety of Aztec viewpoints, these eyewitness accounts directly contradict what the Spanish reported. Obviously, both are right and wrong--and that's what makes this so good. (Excellent for high school students who want to see the choices historians have to make between differing primary sources.) It's a 9 read alone, a 10 when combined with Diaz.

First a cautionary note: I don't believe in "good" or "bad" in history. Things happen because of the complex interrelations between many factors, and coincidence (yes, it plays a role). So the worst way to read this book is from a sentimental point of view: mean Spaniards conquest and kill good Indians. Just imagine what would have happened if the human-sacrifice-prone Aztecs had conquered Spain (but then again, they had no ships to cross the Ocean).

Nevertheless, this is a crucial book, because it tells the story of the Conquest from the view of the conquered. That is needed to fully understand this vital historical process. The book is a selection of indigenous stories telling the event. One can perceive the utter terror and misery brought upon by the destruction of the Indian societies. The fear, the superstitions and the desolation of the Indians during and after the total destruction of their world. Leon Portilla has done a much-needed effort here. He deserves praise for it, and the book deserves to be read.

Ever wondered what it looked like from the other side? This work is unique in that history, especially that of indigenous peoples, is usually told by the conquerors. Not here. If you have any interest in Mexico and its story, you should read this book.

This book is really good if you want to find out what 'really' happened when the Spanish came to Mexico. It explains in great detail all the events that lead up to Cortez conquring the Aztec empire.

I bought and read this book hoping to learn many totally new perspectives and details about the Spanish Conquest of Mexico. The editor, Miguel Leon-Portilla, packaged a small amount of content from the Aztec's original accounts of the conquests and has seemed to try to package it for sale. His introductions of all the Aztec accounts are so saucy and sensational that the reader loses a sense of historical objectivity from the Aztecs. The accounts themselves are mainly name-calling of the Spaniards. Sometimes the Aztec accounts of the Spanish Conquestors as "Barbarians" seems to be the only repeated chime of cultural relativity offered by the slow-reading book. This fellow absolutely spoiled the book by trying to pad the lack of content from a small collection of Aztec narratives. What a let-down.