Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest 1st Edition

by Matthew Restall (Author)

50 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0195176117

ISBN-10: 0195176111

Why is ISBN important?

Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon

Added to

Unable to add item to List. Please try again.

Condition: Used - Good

In Stock. Sold by ThriftBooks - Silver Arch

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

82 Used from $12.47

+ $0.00 shipping

Deliver to France

Turn on 1-Click ordering

In Stock.

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

This item ships to France. Want it Friday, Oct. 19? Choose AmazonGlobal Priority Shipping at checkout. Learn more

List Price: $19.99
Save: $4.26 (21%)

56 New from $15.73

Deliver to France

Turn on 1-Click ordering

More Buying Choices

56 New from $15.73 82 Used from $12.47

138 used & new from $12.47

See All Buying Options

Free Two-Day Shipping for College Students with Amazon Student

Here is an intriguing exploration of the ways in which the history of the Spanish Conquest has been misread and passed down to become popular knowledge of these events. The book offers a fresh account of the activities of the best-known conquistadors and explorers, including Columbus, Cortés, and Pizarro.

Using a wide array of sources, historian Matthew Restall highlights seven key myths, uncovering the source of the inaccuracies and exploding the fallacies and misconceptions behind each myth. This vividly written and authoritative book shows, for instance, that native Americans did not take the conquistadors for gods and that small numbers of vastly outnumbered Spaniards did not bring down great empires with stunning rapidity. We discover that Columbus was correctly seen in his lifetime--and for decades after--as a briefly fortunate but unexceptional participant in efforts involving many southern Europeans. It was only much later that Columbus was portrayed as a great man who fought against the ignorance of his age to discover the new world. Another popular misconception--that the Conquistadors worked alone--is shattered by the revelation that vast numbers of black and native allies joined them in a conflict that pitted native Americans against each other. This and other factors, not the supposed superiority of the Spaniards, made conquests possible.

The Conquest, Restall shows, was more complex--and more fascinating--than conventional histories have portrayed it. Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest offers a richer and more nuanced account of a key event in the history of the Americas.

Frequently bought together

Total price: $75.22

These items are shipped from and sold by different sellers. Show details

Buy the selected items together

This item:Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest by Matthew Restall Paperback $15.73
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
Latin America in Colonial Times by Matthew Restall Paperback $37.99
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping. Details
The Columbian Exchange: Biological and Cultural Consequences of 1492, 30th Anniversary Edition by Alfred W. Crosby Jr. Paperback $21.50
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Ships from and sold by GoldenPageBooks.
$3.99 shipping

Customers who bought this item also bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

Matthew Restall

15

Paperback
$37.99
Alfred W. Crosby Jr.

39

Paperback
$21.50
Catalina De Erauso

33

Paperback
$14.40
Mark A. Burkholder

17

Paperback
16 offers from $62.36
Peter Turchin

32

Paperback
$16.54
Allan Greer

17

Paperback
$19.55

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest is an engaging and highly readable account of the history of the conquest of the Amerias."--Jennifer Jobb, Against the Current

"A daring revisionist critique.... Restall's provocative analysis, wide-ranging scholarship and lucid prose make this a stimulating contribution to the debate on one of history's great watersheds."--Publishers Weekly

"This is an important book. It should be read by all high school world history teachers, and by professors of the same....a powerful indictment of the myths that we all inadvertently rely on to explain a complex and distant period. It will undoubtedly stir up a discussion about the reality of these myths and what others might find in both popular and scholarly writing in this field, and others." --American Historical Review

About the Author

Matthew Restall is Professor of Latin American History, Women's Studies, and Anthropology, and Director of Latin American Studies at Pennsylvania State University. He is the author of five books, including Maya Conquistador and The Maya World. He lives in State College, Pennsylvania.

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; 1 edition (October 28, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0195176111
ISBN-13: 978-0195176117
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 0.9 x 6.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 15.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 50 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,839 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > History > Latin America
- #15 in Books > History > Historical Study & Educational Resources > Historiography
- #30 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > History > Europe

Would you like to tell us about a lower price?
If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support?

If you buy a new print edition of this book (or purchased one in the past), you can buy the Kindle edition for only $2.99 (Save 73%). Print edition purchase must be sold by Amazon. .

Be the first video

Your name here

Try the Kindle edition and experience these great reading features:

See Kindle Edition

Customer reviews

Write a customer review

See all 50 customer reviews

Top customer reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

A changed perspective and an answer to an epic question.

October 21, 2012

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Matthew Restall's "Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest" is an illuminating introduction to the Conquest of the Americas. The value of Restall's book is that it provides a broad overview of the facts, circumstances and personalities of the Conquest while diving deeper into particular "myths" around which Restall organizes his book.

Although he calls his chapters "myths," it isn't clear to me that these are myths in the sense that they are erroneous things that people think about when they think of the Spanish Conquest. A lot of the myths are things that we don't normally think about at all, albeit if pushed to take a position, we might adopt the "mythicist" position sketched by Restall. For example, not all conquistadors were white, some were Africans who transitioned from slave to successful conquistadors while enslaved. This is a fascinating bit of history, particularly fascinating in the idea that a person from a sub-Saharan African tribe could make his way successfully into a completely alien culture. Is there a myth that all Conquistadors were white? I suspect that the answer is that most people just haven't thought about the subject.

What we get from Restall's book is that the Conquistadors, generally acting as entrepreneurial free companies with only the most limited backing of their sovereign, had perfected a technique of conquest, which basically involved descending on the next likely looking territory, enlisting native allies, capturing the native leader and massacring natives where necessary. The strategy worked like gang-busters, particularly when aided along by the introduction of European diseases that killed off 90% of the native population.

To the natives, it must have looked like the end of the world.

Restall explores this strategy by a series of chapters addressing his "myths." In chapter one, Restall points out that it was not a "handful of adventurers" that conquered the Americas. It was a handful of adventurers backed by huge numbers of native allies. In chapter two, Restall points out that the conquistadors were not armies of the King. They were usually scratch troops put together on the spot of whoever was feeling like making a fortune. In chapter three, Restall introduces the reader to the African slaves who made up a substantial portion of the Spanish forces. In chapter four, Restall explains the idea of the completion of the Conquest was overstated; there were free Mayan groups in the Yucatan into the Twentieth Century. Chapter five discusses the asymmetry of communication. The Spanish were fortunate to find native speakers who could communicate with the Spanish. Thus, Cortez spoke to a shipwrecked Spaniard who spoke a Mayan language, who in turn spoke to Malinche - the Aztec princess who became Cortez' mistress - who could speak to the Aztecs. The Aztecs and other natives did not have that kind of access to the intelligence that knowing the other's language provided. In chapter six, Restall disputes the myth that the Indians were totally and utterly destroyed by the Conquest. The seventh chapter discusses why there should be such mythic understandings of the Conquest, i.e., outmanned adventurers conquering mighty civilizations by sheer cultural superiority.

This is a good book for those who are looking for an introduction to the subject. I read this book while listening to the Teaching Company lecture series on the Conquest of the Americas. I heartily recommend that combination as a way getting immersed in this important but often forgotten studied bit of history.

40 people found this helpful

Helpful

Not Helpful

Comment

Essential Reading

May 19, 2013

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

"Seven Myths" is one of the most important pieces of revisionist history with respect to how the Spanish pressed their conquest of those parts of the Americas that came under their influence. It challenges and gives nuance to the standard narrative at almost every turn. One must know that narrative, as told, for instance, by Hugh Thomas in Conquest, in order to appreciate the depth of research that went into the "Seven Myths" and the changes in perspective it demands of those desiring to understand how history changing was the encounter between Europe and the Americas. The bibliography is definitive up to the time of publication.

7 people found this helpful

Comment

February 20, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

thanks

Comment

September 4, 2013

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

As a history major in college I have found this book intriguing in its perceptions of how we humans would like to view ourselves versus what actually dictates the perception of ourselves and reception of others culturally.

As a person of mixed descent by result of the "Colombian exchange" I found the book to give more possibilities in the origins of American cultures and familial histories. It is surely a book to be taken into pondering

4 people found this helpful

Comment

March 2, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Not chronological, so a bit puzzling at times.

Helpful

Not Helpful

Comment

Zaquan

Excellent Read for Native American history

March 3, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Excellent book!!!! I had to but this for my class turns out it really is not a bad book. If you love history this book is a must read for you.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Not Helpful

Comment

nagrom

Seven Myths present a new approach

January 1, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

A different approach to the history of the conquest of the Aztec Empire by Cortez. If the reader has studied the history as presented in other writing, this will give him/her a new angle to contemplate.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Not Helpful

Comment

Tito

Excellent book to contradict mainstream historical content

February 24, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Great book as a pro/con point of view of the historical content of the Spanish conquest of the Inca empire.

Helpful

Not Helpful

Comment

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway

This item: Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest

Set up a giveaway

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

Charles C. Mann

1,210

Paperback
$14.03
Catalina De Erauso

33

Paperback
$14.40
Charles C. Mann

610

Paperback
$14.36
Matthew Restall

15

Paperback
$37.99
Alfred W. Crosby Jr.

39

Paperback
$21.50
Mark A. Burkholder

17

Paperback
16 offers from $62.36

Pages with related products. See and discover other items: maya popol vuh, colonial latin america, english to spanish, spanish conquistador, spanish to english, spanish explorers

Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest 1st Edition

Turn on 1-Click ordering

Turn on 1-Click ordering

Frequently bought together

Customers who bought this item also bought

Sponsored products related to this item (What's this?)

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

Product details

Related Video Shorts (0)

Be the first video

Sponsored products related to this item (What's this?)

Try the Kindle edition and experience these great reading features:

Customer reviews

Filter by popular topics in reviews

Top customer reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Most recent customer reviews

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest 1st Edition

Sorry, there was a problem.

Sorry, there was a problem.

Buy used On clicking this link, a new layer will be open $10.70 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open

Turn on 1-Click ordering

Buy new On clicking this link, a new layer will be open $15.73 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open

Turn on 1-Click ordering

Frequently bought together

Customers who bought this item also bought

Sponsored products related to this item (What's this?)

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

Product details

Related Video Shorts (0)

Be the first video

Sponsored products related to this item (What's this?)

Try the Kindle edition and experience these great reading features:

Customer reviews

Filter by popular topics in reviews

Top customer reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Most recent customer reviews

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Buy used On clicking this link, a new layer will be open

$10.70 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open

Buy new On clicking this link, a new layer will be open

$15.73 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open