I remembered Cortez and Montezuma from grade school history. Spanish conquistador Cortez conquered Montezuma and the vast Aztec empire with a small military force that overwhelmed the primitive Indians with their vastly superior "modern" weapons and horses. I remember the Aztecs as heathen overlords who sacrificed humans on a daily basis, cutting out and holding up their still beating hearts just like in an Indiana Jones movie. Later seeing the Mayan ruins in Mexico I was impressed how advanced they really were.This book tells the story almost like a fast pace novel. First of all his conquest was not the cakewalk that I had believed. In fact it was kind of a miracle that he was actually able to accomplish the feat at all. Levy paints him as a truly great inspirational and innovative leader. By defeating some of the "lesser" tribes subjugated by the Aztecs. He then used diplomatic skills to form alliances that provided him with hundreds of thousands of loyal warriors and workers who made the whole thing possible. The Aztecs were a whole lot fiercer and numerous than I had believed. Even with their superior weapons and many allies and a conveniently timed small pox epidemic,it took the in creditably imaginative and heroically executed building of 13 Spanish galleons virtually from scratch and hauling them over the mountains to tip the scales. I think Levy did a good job presenting the characters as multifaceted individuals at times great heroes and deeply flawed people with streaks of evil. I read this book a couple of years ago, so I don't remember it in detail, but I remember liking it a lot. A definite thumbs-up.Why did I enjoy it so much? Because I like history, and this book is non-fiction written in an engrossing style. The story of Cortes is, in fact, better than fiction. From the man scuttling his own ships, to the Native Americans mistaking horseback riders for 6-legged monsters, to battles along narrow causeways across a lake, there is stuff in this story that you just can't make up. And Buddy Levy tells it all as if it were fiction, not like a dry history textbook.Although Levy makes no apologies for Cortes's behavior, he might be more sympathetic to the man than he deserves, that's the main criticism I would have. But the fact of the matter is -- it may not have a happy ending or a sympathetic protagonist, but the story of Cortes is one of the more amazing narratives in the history of the world. And that makes this a story worth reading.
What do You think about Conquistador Conquistador Conquistador (2008)?
Two great men of history come head to head and only one can win. Great story!
—password
An entertaining and very readable history of the Conquistadors.
—strawberrymoo
This is the best book I have read on the conquest of Mexico.
—valerie
