Product Details

• Actors: Jason Hreno, Michael Wood
• Format: NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: Unrated
• Number of tapes: 2
• Studio: Pbs (Direct)
• VHS Release Date: May 15, 2001
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005I9P0
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #238,062 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

In 1519 Hernán Cortés defied the Spanish governor of Cuba and set sail from Santiago with three ships and 300 men. He was looking for gold, and he would find it, but he would also destroy the Aztec civilization, setting the agenda for further expeditions that shaped the future of the Americas.

Conquistadors is written and presented by Michael Wood, the adventurous historian who has traveled in search of Troy and followed the path of Alexander the Great from Macedonia to India. In his latest series he walks in the footsteps of Cortés, Pizzaro, and their fellow conquerors to explain what happened when two cultures met for the first time. Whether he's climbing a mountain pass in the pouring rain or eating guinea pigs in a mountain village, Wood's passion for the story he's telling makes Conquistadors compelling viewing.

When Cortés arrived in Mexico he burned his ships so his men had no choice but to follow him, and Pizarro destroyed the Inca empire with 160 soldiers. These were remarkable people, but their lust for gold and glory caused terrible destruction, and Wood doesn't shy away from the horrors of the conquest, revealing his protagonists in all their troubling complexity. His encounters with the descendents of the Aztecs and the Incas also reveal that although the conquistadors destroyed empires, traces of the native cultures survive, transmitted by generations of ordinary people. Wood's unique approach to history once again reveals how much the present owes to the past. --Simon Leake

From the Back Cover

The Spanish conquest of the AMericas isn the 16th centruy was one of the most cataclysmic events in history. Spanish expeditions had to endure the most unbelievable hardships to open up the lands of the New World. Few stories, if any, in history match these for the sheer drama, endurance and distance covered.

In Conquistadors, Michael Wood travels in the footsteps of some of the greatest of the Spanish adventurers from Amazonia to Lake Titicaca, and from the deserts of North Mexico to the heights of Machu Picchu. He experiences first hand the reality of epic journeys, such as those made by Hernan Cortes and Francisco and Gonzalo Pizarro and explores the turbulent and terrifying events surrounding the Spanish conquest of the Aztec and Inca empires, as well as Orellana's discovery of the Amazon and Cebeza de Vaca's extraordinary journey across America to the Pacific. In Peru, as in Mexico, the Conquistadors swept away the indigenous states, subjugating the native people, destroying their religion and culture. Michael Wood brings history alive as he relates this story of conquest, heroism and greed and shows us how the Conquistadors have changed the way that we see the world, in terms of history and civilization, justice and human rights.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth your attention, July 13, 2007

By 

GhostDeep "electronic music junkie" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Conquistadors (DVD)

Some of the other reviewers have complained that this series doesn't match with the "classic" history authors on the subject. It's my opinion that this view fails to recognize how Michael Wood's documentaries usually operate. His research often has a revisionist ethic, and if you observe the credits and his interviews, many of his sources are often current versus classic experts, and he also goes out of his way, especially in this series, to get folk and indigenous perspectives.

This is in line with his general humanist approach. I for one enjoy it, and while he interprets facts with a an eye for revision or "what ifs" or "just maybe," he never abuses the subject. In fact, he takes us on a journey to question everything we might know or think we know from reading canonical texts.

This particular series is also beautifully shot and taken as a whole is a fresh educational and entertainment experience for those who know little about the Conquistadors and their importance to world history.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You feel this story, May 8, 2008

By 

BeckDaytona "RJ" (Daytona Beach, FL) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Conquistadors (DVD)

Whether it shows a lot of actors in costume or not isn't really the point. He takes you through areas as a tour guide and tells you the history. The last part about De Vacca and his revelations and the extraordinary journey was fantastic. I thoroughly enjoyed this just as much as I do Ken Burns' documentaries, it is a different style. I don't want to see everyone do things the same way. As far as him showing art, he did show art, he also showed you by trying many things how these people survived, what they ate, how they cooked, how they made plows, how the Aztecs made weapons that were inferior to the steel ones the Spaniards came equipped with. Also, the journey of the Incas leaving their beautiful land to try and put separation between themselves and the conquistadors was heartbreaking. I very much enjoyed it and will look forward to more of Michael Wood's exuberant storytelling.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Takes Some Getting Used to But . . ., September 27, 2001

By 

A.Adams (Newport Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Conquistadors [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Let it be said that I love documentaries. Many of my friends roll their eyes and shake their heads . . . but I still love 'em. The topic of Conquistadors summoned up romantic images of my California history classes in 4th and 5th grade as I grew up in LA. I went ahead and made the purchase. At first, I was a bit put off by the style of documentary. I was more used to the traditional style of documentary in which images and photos from history are accompanied by the narrator's voiceover interspliced with that of knowledgable historians.

Mr. Wood however, takes you on a journey and the majority of his images are from modern times shot "in the footsteps" of the Conquistadors he is profiling. At first I was dissapointed, but eventually, this "genre" of documentary grabbed me and I began to really enjoy it. The final installment on Cabesa de Vaca is simply amazing and worth the price in and of itself. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the videos. Not my favorite . . . but definitely worth it.