The conquest of Montezuma and his Aztecs by the Spaniards was a momentous event in history because it brought about the end of one of the richest and well-governed civilizations of the world. The events have in them so many human emotions like bravery, benevolence, greed, and treachery which is in effect on the study of human psychology. It also resulted in the end of religion as practiced by the Aztecs, which include idol worship and human sacrifices, and the introduction of Christianity into the region. The events have been chronicled and released many years after the conquest by Bernal Díaz del Castillo. He had served as captain to Governor Hernan Cortes who was instrumental in the defeat of the Aztecs after the Spanish had earlier made their presence felt in the region years before. This paper is an attempt to answer several questions surrounding the author, the book, and his intentions in setting about chronicling the events he experienced.
About the author
Bernal Díaz del Castillo was born to poor Spanish parents in 1496. He began his career as a common soldier in the Spanish army and served a long period in South America and Cuba. His career in that region began under Pedrarias Dávila, after which he was enlisted under Francisco Hernandez de Córdoba. His third and final stint as a military person was under Hernando Cortés, who as mentioned earlier was the man instrumental in the final defeat of the Aztecs. “He took part, he tells us, in 119 battles, and was present at the surrender of the city of Mexico in 1521.” (Bernal Diaz Del Castillo). He died (1584) as governor of Santiago de los Caballeros in what is now Guatemala without acquiring any of the great wealth that was plundered from the Aztecs after their defeat.
About the book
As mentioned earlier the book unfolds the events that ultimately led to the death of Montezuma and the capture of the Aztecs and their wealth by the Spaniards. Bernal Díaz records the events as they happened to describe his stints working under the three Spanish officials mentioned above though the major part of the book deals with the times he spent working under Hernando Cortés. This book makes compelling and vivid reading and is an excellent source of knowledge about understanding the true picture of the defeat. The book is written without any candor and simply states the events that unfolded in front of Díaz. The main reason behind writing the book at age eighty was that he felt undue importance being given to Cortés and also because he felt that the events of the time were over-glorified in favor of the Spaniards. His stint with Cortés forms the major part of this book. It was written in Spanish and was titled ‘Verdadera Historia de la Conquista de Nueva España, in 1568, but could only be published posthumously in 1632. This paper is based on the English translation of the original work by John Michael Cohen, published in 1963 by Penguin Books.
The audience of the book
From reading the book, the feeling that one gets is that Díaz wrote the book for the sole purpose of clearing the air about the misconceptions about the Spanish conquest of the region. He resented the fact (and correctly so) that Cortés was given undue importance in the whole episode. In reality, Cortés came into the picture only after a base had been laid in the region by his predecessors. It should be noted that the book was written in Spanish and the original intention of the author was just to enlighten the Spanish public of the time. But in the modern context, this book is an invaluable insight into the destruction of one of the greatest civilizations in history. It is a must-read for the history student and also for anyone interested in the topic. It is also an insight into the diverse human emotions that can cause change the course of the history of a region or a nation.
Assumptions
Díaz writes with great honesty and does not shy away from expressing his own (and also of his countrymen) feelings. This is evident from the following excerpt at the time he served under Francisco Hernandez; “But as the men were gathered in such numbers, we were afraid that there might be another ambush, like that at Catoche.” [Pl show as published book and not as Google books when referencing]. (Diaz, Bernel., and Del, Diaz Bernel, 21). But he is often critical of others especially about his boss Hernando Cortés. An instance of this is evident where by the scribbling on the white walls of the building when he was a guest of the Aztecs. Díaz states that the walls soon began to be covered with writings which could be labeled as scurrilous. This is evident when the author writes opinions which were malicious were soon seen on the walls, presumably written by disgruntled Spanish soldiers. It was thought by many of Cortés’ soldiers that he was helping himself to Aztec riches without properly sharing it with his colleagues and underlings. He also labels his superior as a man who likes to praise his own deeds, mainly because the writings were mostly about Cortés himself. But his honesty and the attempt to write without any bias is evident when he praises Cortés for nearly killing a Spanish solder when caught in the act of stealing chickens from an Indian home. Díaz can also be accused of depicting an air of superiority of the Spanish nation because of the religious beliefs and rituals followed by the Aztecs and other tribes of the region. This is understandable because the Spanish were staunch believers in Christianity and the teachings of Christ. They as a whole believed that Christianity was a superior and civilized religion compared to the one practiced by the South American tribes. He also does not seem to be very critical of the greed shown by the Spanish when they defeated the Aztecs primarily to obtain the untold wealth owned by the civilization. But on the whole, these assumptions do not take any value that is found in the book. This no frills writing can be believed to be a balanced and unbiased account of the events at that time.
Lessons from the book
This book is an invaluable understanding of the human mind especially about how political and military leaders think during that period of time. The Western world was in a frenzy of expansion and colonization and many of the evils that had occurred in this name is clearly depicted in this book. The power of religion over men is also a factor seen here. It also talks about greed and the way man reacts to the wealth owned by others. It reveals that people are willing to take by force, if they think that this wealth is valuable to them. These are the lessons that this book teaches, but the author does not sermonize, and hence only a deeper reflection can make these points stand out to the reader.
Works Cited
Bernal Diaz Del Castillo. New Advent. 2009. Web.
Diaz, Bernel., and Del, Diaz Bernel. The Conquest if New Spain. Penguin Classics, 1963.