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 knowl...
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reviews
Dec 18, 2007
Alejandro
rated it: 
You know I had my theories all bunched up and carried on my shoulder like a heavy chip and for what? To have them tumble like snow flakes on hot asphalt. That's why we read and learn and and learn and read some more. It starts off fantastic, non-apolegetic and demistifying both sides of historical assumtions and a curriculum thats long overdue for an update. You know you have to appreciate Anthropology and relentless research. the author doesn't have conclusion to the defifinative colonisation o
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Feb 09, 2012
John
rated it: 
This is a great little book, and would be a good choice not only for someone studying Latin America in depth, but also for casual readers who might have a general idea that they have been fed some myths about this period in history, and want a short, well written examination of these myths. I think most people know at this point, for example, that everybody knew the world was round back in 1492, it wasn't just Columbus trying to convince people of this crazy round world idea. If you have already
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Feb 07, 2012
Cody
rated it:
yeah, i'm giving this five stars. it's not necessarily a life-changing book, but it is a deeply important - and accomplished! - work in light of the enduring impact of historical distortions. (note: i came to this already aware wrt the fundamentals of how each myth presented is untrue, but not the details.)
let's use jared diamond's "guns, germs, and steel" as an example. diamond relies solely on spanish accounts for one of the key pieces of narrative he presents (pizarro at c More...
let's use jared diamond's "guns, germs, and steel" as an example. diamond relies solely on spanish accounts for one of the key pieces of narrative he presents (pizarro at c More...
May 18, 2009
Chaz
rated it:
Above all, what one may profit from reading this book would have to be a clearer understanding of the surreptitiously and higgedly-piggedly way in which the conquest was achieved. The Monarchs of the new country called "Las Españas" were not bank rolling the efforts but granting individuals who headed, remarkably similar to corporations, groups of kinsman, bondsmen, and slaves into the newly discovered lands for profit. The Church was both an ally and a justification to spread their cu
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Aug 08, 2011
I think this is a very good book. The topics it discusses are key in re-examining the ossified legends of the Conquistadores. I read it for a Colonial Latin American course, so the prose didn't affect me. The general gist of the story is how that the Spanish were not able to subjugate the great American civilizations through great leadership and technological superiority. Rather, the Spaniards followed a tradition of warfare originating from the Reconquista, and through their success of gatherin
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Oct 29, 2011
Michelle
rated it:
Required reading for my Early Latin American History course. Fascinating stuff, really. Restall's myths include:
1)The myth that Hernan, Cortes, and Pizarro were exceptional men who were pioneers in ocean navigation and conquest. According to Restall, these men were not visionaries but part of a long tradition of exploration. While their actions were definitely commendable, they were not isolated.
2)The myth that the conquerors were soldiers in a Spanish Army. Restall posits that t More...
1)The myth that Hernan, Cortes, and Pizarro were exceptional men who were pioneers in ocean navigation and conquest. According to Restall, these men were not visionaries but part of a long tradition of exploration. While their actions were definitely commendable, they were not isolated.
2)The myth that the conquerors were soldiers in a Spanish Army. Restall posits that t More...
Jan 31, 2012
Jay
rated it: 
Latin America during the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth centuries has long fascinated me. The time and place offer unique opportunities for studying the processes of inter-cultural contact and the mechanisms of acculturation.
Anthropologists, archeologists, ethnographers, ethno historians, historians and linguists have all provided pieces that have advanced our understanding of the complexities of the long-term confrontations and interchanges among Europeans, Africans and the In More...
Anthropologists, archeologists, ethnographers, ethno historians, historians and linguists have all provided pieces that have advanced our understanding of the complexities of the long-term confrontations and interchanges among Europeans, Africans and the In More...
Jun 09, 2008
Sara-Maria
rated it:
the seven myths, a chapter on each: the myth of exceptional men, the myth of the kings army, the myth of the white conquistador, the myth of completion, the myth of (mis)communication, the myth of native desolation, the myth of superiority. certainly made me rethink some things, and detail like the demography of the conquistadors allows me to more vividly imagine such scenarios in their concreteness, but it remains to be determined if any of these more factual elements seriously disrupt my conce
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Feb 06, 2012
Mel
rated it: 
Overall, a good introduction to a topic that is rarely questioned. (No, the natives did not think Spaniards were gods, contrary to what the public education system here teaches.) Giving it 3 stars because of the lack of organization within each chapter.
Jan 11, 2009
I read this book a while back ago, but this particular book brought to my attention the role indigenous peoples played in the fall of the Mexica.
Feb 01, 2012
Josh
rated it:
This was assigned reading for my Latin American Colonial History class. I thought it was very informative and does a good job breaking down common myths and misconceptions about the Spanish Conquest. The author does use "I" a little too much and a few parts of the book are a little dull or repetitive, but it was very good for the topics covered in class and would have like to read it even if I hadn't take the class.
Jan 14, 2012
Karen
rated it:
This was extremely interesting.
I feel like I knew absolutely nothing about the Spanish conquests until I read this.
It's a great eye-opener, especially considering much of what we know and pass down about these events in human history are not entirely correct.
I feel like I knew absolutely nothing about the Spanish conquests until I read this.
It's a great eye-opener, especially considering much of what we know and pass down about these events in human history are not entirely correct.
Mar 20, 2010
Felicia
rated it:
Very informative. It's the "Lies My Teacher Told Me" of the Spanish Conquest. ... a real eye-opener.
Feb 17, 2010
interesting read for underclassmen at university, ap students, or weekend historians
Jan 14, 2008
Adam
rated it:
Excellent. Every person with an interest in Latin American studies should read this. A fascinating revisionist work that wasts no time in hacking away at the historiography of the Spanish conquest of Latin America and raising uncomfortable questions (such as the role of blacks in the conquest or the subject of La Malinche). I had a little trouble with his writing style at first, but once past that I never looked back.... I just got it back from Kap after a year or so and look forward to rereadin
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