Hi, I have recently started reading up on conquistador era MesoAmerica, and am fascinated by the stories.
I have so far read
Andres Resendez - a land so strange Buddy levy - conquistador hernan cortes
Does anyone have any good reading suggestions for other conquests?
Or on the other side I would love to read up on native history of the Aztec/Mayan/nahuatl from their side of the story and even before the Spain came.
Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks.
The Broken Spears by Miguel León-Portilla is a fascinating read. It’s rich with primary sources translated from Nahuatl, so the reader experiences the Conquest from initial first contacts to societal breakdowns as a result of disease, to outright warfare. I definitely need to revisit it. Also, I’m NOT a historian, I just lurk here, but 1492 by Charles Mann had a good section on the Spanish conquest, though I’d recommend the entire book.
If you want the Mexica side of the story, I highly recommend Fifth Sun by Camilla Townsend. It’s written primarily from Nahuatl sources rather than Spanish ones, and offers an interesting alternate perspective into the story of the conquest.