The True History of the Conquest of New Spain

The journals of the foot soldier Bernal Díaz (1492–1584) are the fullest surviving eyewitness account of the Mexican conquest led by Hernán Cortés. The final volume describes the aftermath of the campaign and outlines how the Spanish established their authority on the land and its inhabitants.

Bernal Díaz del Castillo (1492–1584) was a foot soldier in the army of Mexico's conqueror Hernán Cortés, and participated in the campaigns that led to the fall of the Aztec empire in 1521. This 1928 translation of his journals derives from the 1904 edition by the Mexican historian Genaro García - the first edition based on the original manuscript. Written as a corrective to accounts that overemphasised Cortés' exploits, Díaz's epic includes the experiences of the common soldier: hardship, thirst, long marches and unexpected attacks by rebels. The most complete contemporary chronicle of the Mexican conquest, this important historical document is also a captivating adventure narrative that combines factual accuracy with many dramatic anecdotes. This final volume contains chapters 174–214 and historical appendices by the editor. Díaz describes the aftermath of the Mexican conquest, and outlines how the Spanish established their authority over the land and its inhabitants.