Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The saga of Cortés, Montezuma, and the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire has been chronicled repeatedly, and with justification, since it is one of the seminal events in world history. There is probably no new information on the conquest left to uncover, but it is a thrilling, moving, and tragic story well worth retelling. Levy is not a professional historian, but he is a fine writer who knows the material, and he is wise enough to allow the pure excitement and drama of the story to unfold naturally. At the center of the tale, of course, are the two protagonists. Cortés is viewed as an intriguing combination of ruthless ambition, religious piety, and surprising tenderness. Montezuma, also deeply religious, was less a man of action than Cortés, and his contemplative nature probably sealed his doom. As Levy illustrates, this was also an earthshaking clash of civilizations that is still working itself out five centuries later. This is a superb work of popular history, ideal for general readers. --Jay Freeman --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"For sheer drama, no age compares to the age of exploration, no explorers compare to the conquistadors and no conquistador compares to Hernan Cortes. In Buddy Levy’s finely wrought and definitive Conquistador, the worlds of Cortes and Montezuma collide and come to life. Five hundred years after the conquest, the Cadillo and his prey have been made human. To read Conquistador is to see, hear and feel two cultures in a struggle to the death with nothing less than the fate of the western hemisphere at stake. Prodigiously researched and stirringly told, Conquistador is a rarity: an invaluable history lesson that also happens to be a page-turning read."—Jeremy Schaap, best-selling author of Cinderella Man: James J. Braddock, Max Baer and the Greatest Upset in Boxing History, and Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler’s Olympics

"Sweeping and majestic...A pulse-quickening narrative."—Neal Bascomb, author of Red Mutiny: Eleven Fateful Days on the Battleship Potemkin

"A century before the Mayflower, a single man settled the destiny of the Americas far more momentously than the Puritans ever could....Conquistador offers a fascinating account of the first and most decisive of those encounters: the one between the impetuous Spanish adventurer Cortés and Montezuma, the ill-starred emperor of the Aztecs.... [An] almost unbelievable story of missionary zeal, greed, cruelty and courage."—Wall Street Journal

“Drawing heavily on both Spanish and Aztec sources…. [Levy stresses] the military strategy, diplomatic initiaitves, and personal relationship between Cortés and Aztec emperor Montezuma…. Well-written…. Highly recommended.”—Library Journal, starred review

“A fateful meeting of civilizations…. Cortes is front and center in this book…. [Levy’s] de... --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (July 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553384716
• ISBN-13: 978-0553384710
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #26,213 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #2 in	Books > History > Ancient > Aztec
  #10 in	Books > History > Europe > Spain
  #12 in	Books > History > Americas > Mexico

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Diseases of the heart, July 11, 2008

By	Kerry Walters (Lewisburg, PA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs (Hardcover)

In a letter quoted by Buddy Levy in his magnificent Conquistador, Hernan Cortes confesses that he and his men suffer from a particular "disease of the heart": a lust for gold and power. The tale of the unhappy outcome of that disease, the destruction of one of the New World's mightiest empires in an astoundingly short time by an astoundingly small handful of adventurers, is the most apparent storyline in Conquistador. Levy tells it with eloquence and accuracy.

But there's another storyline in the book that I find just as fascinating. The disease of the heart which afflicted Cortes and his men also troubled Montezuma, for the Aztec Empire, despite its achievements in science and art, was also a bloodthirsty machine that subjugated native peoples, sacrified tens of thousands to pitiless gods, and created caste systems in which the many were ground under the feet of the few. What Levy gives us, then, is a double portrait of two invalids suffering from similar illnesses. One, a European captain with fewer than 500 men, the other a divine emperor with life-or-death power over 15 million people. In the end, both of them died from their diseases, Montezuma and his empire literally, Cortes morally and (despite his sporadic religious zealotry) spiritually. Curiously, neither of them seemed to have quite the necessary stamina to survive their illness.

In telling the story of the clash between these two men, Levy explores the tactics by which Cortes managed to defeat Montezuma: a combination of bluster, good luck, superior technology, alliances with disgruntled indigenous peoples, and hard fighting. His description of La Noche Triste, the night in which Cortes and his men were forced out of the royal city of Tenochtitlan by rallying Aztecs and nearly destroyed, is surpassed only by his account of the 2-month siege that retook and destroyed the city. (Cortes, for example, dug a one-mile canal to launch battle ships in the lake surrounding Tenochtitlan. Over 200,000 Aztecs, including Montezuma, perished in the resulting fight, which Levy describes with the gusto of Homer's account of the fall of Troy.) Afterwards, Cortes built his palace on the ruins of Montezuma's.

The relationship between Montezuma and Cortes has always been a strange one, with both men appearing both attracted and repulsed by the other. Levy suggests that part of the ambivalence may've been because Montezuma, overpowered by the splendor of the invaders, fell victim to the Stockholm Syndrome (a sense of loyalty to one's oppressors). It's a fascinating suggestion.

All in all, a splendid book that combines historical narrative with much insight about how diseases of the heart can bring down both individuals and empires. Something to think about.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs , December 30, 2008

By	Eric Williams (South-Eastern Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs by Buddy Levy. 448 pages. 2008.

The Conquest of Mexico was not a single event, it was not the result of disease, treachery, technology, or evil it was a long two year slog of battles won and battles lost. Too often the events surrounding the Conquest are simplified to issues of technology or disease and to a demonizing of the Spaniards. The reality is of course more nuanced and the simplification denigrates all sides.

This book does an admirable job of introducing the History and some of the issues related to the Conquest in an honest way. It draws on sources from all sides, including modern research and legacy studies. It presents the events in a complete enough narrative to tell the story with out getting bogged down in the details, some of which can be quite gory.

There are many other books available on this same topic but they tend to be one-sided or focused n on a single topic. When for instance a writer tries to make the case that Spanish victory was predicated on superior technology the writer would denigrate Spanish tactics, Aztec adaptations to technology and tactics. The focal point of this book is on the two leaders, Cortes and Montezuma.

The image of Cortes presented is a fairly complete image. This image may very well surprise many casual readers. Cortes was a real person and defies simple demonizing. He was physically very brave almost to the point of abject recklessness. The travail he endured is astounding. Cortes did not win every battle he presided over the long retreat from Mexico City and he proved capable of learning and adapting to the methods and abilities of his opponents. This natural military ability is something that is often overlooked in rash judgments which focus on technology or disease. The simple truth is that the majority of Cortés's forces were not Spanish they were locals. The gaining of local support speaks to another side of Cortes which gets overlooked and that is his diplomatic skills. His ability to discern fissures in the Aztec world and exploit them, creating a unified force of opposition, a coalition of the willing. We also see the darker side of Cortes, the side we are more apt to be familiar with the earnest religious zealot and the gold hungry adventurer.

The Aztec ruler is also fleshed out and we meet a troubled man at the height of his powers who has been a priest and a successful warrior. He is in church of a society built up on the shoulders of a triple federation, tribute, fear, and faith. Too often we get a glamorized image of the Aztecs, the kind that is popular in Mexico today ... which is often far from the truth.

This book ends really with the birth of a son to Cortes and to his native interpreter mistress. In a way this is fitting as there in lays the creation of modern Mexico a blend of two civilizations moving forward together.

All told this book is an excellent introduction the casual reader and beginning scholar of a story which seems at times more fiction then truth, but which really happened

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars somewhat lightweight and innacurate, October 15, 2008

By	jose el loco (southampton, uk) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs (Hardcover)

The book is well written and it is a readable account of the Conquest of the Mexica empire. Unfortunately, in my opinion the author fails to situate the episode in its temporal and cultural context; it feels more like an adventure story than history. It is also full of innacuracies, which suggest that the author is only superficially familiar with its topic. For example, Levy writes that the ancient city of Tula is located in what is today Mexico City, when in reality is in the state of Hidalgo, some 40 miles away. We are also told that Nahuatl was a Maya language, when in fact it belongs to a different language family altoghether.
In my opinion, Hugh Thomas' account Conquest: Montezuma, Cortes, and the Fall of Old Mexico is a far superior piece, succeding in giving a better feel of the clash of two completely different worlds, with the main characters far better placed in their temporal and cultural context.