History of the Spanish Conquest of Yucatan and of the Itzas - Scholar's Choice Edition

by Philip Ainsworth Means

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238 pages, Paperback

First published March 24, 2015

Reviews

[Justinian]

2015-12 - History of the Spanish Conquest of Yucatan and of the Itzas. Philip Ainsworth Means (Author), Andrés Avendaño Y De Loyola (Author) 1917. 246 Pages.

An older text. Essentially a compilation of journal entries, diaries, and official reports. There is little to no analysis or context. The tale is told almost totally from the point of view of the Spanish missionaries trying to convert the natives and assist in their subjugation so they can be converted. The context of events is largely missing. Those without a basic to mid-level grounding in the history of New Spain or the Mayas/Toltecs of the Yucatan will weary after about a 1/3 of this book. For those with a background it will prove informative of a point of view which when cobbled together with other works can create a fuller, rounder image. As a standalone text ... it is neither adventure tale, nor sufficient history. It is indicative of a time and place and comes across as beaurocratic and dry. Largely because of when it was written and when it was put together as a book the Spanish missionaries come off wholly as civilizing and the natives as villainous who worship demons.