Conquistadors and Aztecs: A History of the Fall of Tenochtitlan

by Stefan Rinke

A highly readable narrative of the causes, course, and consequences of the Spanish Conquest, incorporating the perspectives of many Native groups, Black slaves, and the conquistadors, timed with the 500th anniversary of the fall of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan.

Five hundred years ago, a flotilla landed on the coast of Yucatán under the command of the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés. While the official goal of the expedition was to explore and to expand the Christian faith, everyone involved knew that it was primarily about gold and the hunt for slaves.

That a few hundred Spaniards destroyed the Aztec empire--a highly developed culture--is an old chestnut, because the conquistadors, who had every means to make a profit, did not succeed alone. They encountered groups such as the Tlaxcaltecs, who suffered from the Aztec rule and were ready to enter
into alliances with the foreigners to overthrow their old enemy. In addition, the conquerors benefited from the diseases brought from Europe, which killed hundreds of thousands of locals. Drawing on both Spanish and indigenous sources, this account of the conquest of Mexico from 1519 to 1521 not
only offers a dramatic narrative of these events--including the fall of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan and the flight of the conquerors--but also represents the individual protagonists on both sides, their backgrounds, their diplomacy, and their struggles. It vividly portrays the tens of
thousands of local warriors who faced off against each other during the fighting as they attempted to free themselves from tribute payments to the Aztecs.

Written by a leading historian of Latin America, Conquistadors and Aztecs offers a timely portrayal of the fall of Tenochtitlan and the founding of an empire that would last for centuries.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, European History, Historical

320 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2021

About the author

Stefan Rinke is Professor of Latin American History at the Institute of Latin American Studies at Freie Universität Berlin and a former Einstein Research Fellow.

Reviews

[Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished:

"Conquistadors and Aztecs: A History of the Fall of Tenochititlan"

By: Stefan Rinke, translated by: Christopher Reid

New York: Oxford University Press, 2023.

A history of the Conquistadors and their conquest of the Aztecs. The biggest takeaway was the fact that the Spaniards wouldn't have had a chance of success without their indigenous allies. While the Spaniard's presence certainly were a catalyst, but the vast majority of those fighting the Mexica were indigenous peoples oppressed by the Aztecs. The author demonstrated that life is more complicated than the narrative of the Conquistadors as only focused on riches and "genocide."

[Mark Peacock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always wanted to know the real story of how Cortés and his small band of not-quite-soldiers took down the Aztec empire. I knew the discredited story -- that Montezuma surrendered without a fight because he thought the Spaniards were gods -- but didn't have the true story to replace it. Rinke gave it to me in a straight-forward, balanced, and, surprisingly for an academic, mostly jargon-free narrative.

I appreciated that Rinke treats his readers as adults, calling out the strengths, weaknesses, and ulterior motives of each of the European and indigenous sources he uses. He avoids the easy path of focusing on Cortés and his crew as "either heroes or as monsters." Instead, he takes the reader through the hard work -- digging into the complex relationships among the Mesoamerican city-states and the different groups of Spanish colonizers; walking through the detailed chronology to show how well Cortés played the indigenous conflicts, how much he depended on them, and how close he came to complete failure.

If you're like me and looking to replace your grade school stories about the Aztec Empire, read this book.

[timv · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a deeply researched and well documented history of the invasion of Cortez and the Spanish into Mexico and the resulting overthrow of the Mexicas and Tenochtitlan. the author strives to give the motivation and viewpoints of about everyone involved in the whole mess and also strives to interpret what was really going on when all the later reports we have to reference are all biased one way or the other. Of course they were biased, humans wrote them!

The author closely follows the storyline of war and conquest without a whole lot of sideway excursions which is rather commendable considering the vast number of other subjects that could've been examined within this context. Yet, we still learn the cultural, economic and religious drivers of the behaviors of all actors within of the events. All and all, it's still a survey history and don't expect to come away with any great detailed insights. The situations occurring are just too dynamic to go to deep into any area of interest.

For me, this was a pretty dry read even though the subject matter was not. The author just tends towards academic style writing which at times is a detriment to the text, but most of the time I was glad for this writing style as it allowed me to form my own opinions.

The one area that I wish the author would have covered was an analysis of Malinche. in the beginning he discusses the supreme importance of Malinche to Cortez and his allies, but then never goes to describe why. Perhaps this is because Malinche is such a controversial historical subject? Or maybe this was just another case of him sticking to the storyline without much variance.

if you want an introduction to the subject of Cortez in the Spanish invasion of Mexico, give this book a whirl. I think it's a good place to start your investigations. It's certainly very well documented and referenced.

[Joseph DeBrine · Rating 4 out of 5]

i read this to get context for my trip to mexico city. kind of a lot of descriptions of battles that i guess boys like.

human sacrifice as a cultural institution for the aztecs/mexica/others turns out to be not an exaggeration and gotta say is really fascinating and while it’s obviously terrible we oughtta think twice before deciding it’s a unique barbarity (looking @u gladiators, american healthcare system).

so much more to learn and a tragedy of historiography that we can only rely on a handful of medieval spanish codices to understand any of it

[Santi Ruiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review coming for The American Conservative

[Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a little basic and surface level for my tastes, although I fully understand that is a personal problem since this topic is one I tend to read a lot about and get very engrossed in. However, the thesis statement of this history, namely that the fall of Tenochtitlan can be best understood as a continuation of indigenous Mesoamerican warfare and politics that the Spanish only played a minor but crucial part in, elevates the book and permeates its narrative. This striking idea saves this volume from becoming just another run of the mill narrative of the fall of the Mexica and makes the book worthwhile.

[peter lang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enlightening

It's well researched and written. I found out a great deal of information that was unknown to me. If you're interested pick it up

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

This has what you would want in a book about history: a straightforward and fact driven discussion. The author notes all sources, discusses why some may be more truthful than others, notes when what was written was suspect, and then gives analysis and perspective at the end. It is very dry and I would have liked to see the author put a bit of his own personality into the telling. But that said, the author does give us opinions and thoughts on the murkier issues of the conquest.

The book is chronological and mostly details the time from Cortes' arrival in the Caribbean to the fall of Tenochtitlan (the Aztec capital). We're given perspectives from both Indigenous (Mayan, Aztec) and Spanish sources with all the caveats that engenders. The unfolding of the battles, the alliances and disastrous interactions, marches and setbacks/advances are detailed quite thoroughly. The author attempts to really understand the people on both sides and why they made the decisions they did. If you want to only read one book on the subject, this is the one.

There are images from contemporary sources (and the time immediately after) of the conquest. All facts are carefully notated and take about 25% of the end of the book. The last words on the conquest are nicely informed myth busting (e.g., epidemics caused the fall, the Spanish conquered the Aztecs alone, the Aztecs considered the Spanish gods, etc.). For me, two things really stood out: the number of times the Aztecs could have stopped the Spanish incursion and crushed them -and that the importance of the Aztec/Mayan allies to the Spanish. It was a series of lucky incidents for Cortez to do what he did (e.g., getting Malinche, the Aztecs not advancing when they won a battle, their desire to take prisoners for sacrifice causing many losses, and that the Spanish God seemed to be favoring the Spanish over the Aztec pantheon). There were so many steps along the way that could have seen the Spanish fail.

I appreciated that the author gave perspective on what happened in the years following the fall of Tenochtitlan. From the Spanish attempting to conquer the rest of Mexico, California, and South America to how the legal and political systems were set up. We also get a great perspective on the politics of Spain at the time and how they both helped and hindered Cortez. If there was something missing, it was more perspective on Montezuma as a person - he is a cypher in this book and discussed more as an afterthought.

In all, I enjoyed this read. Yes, it was very straightforward and could have used a bit more personality. But it was thorough, factual, issues were discussed without bias, and clearly this was incredibly well researched. It's a great read for those who want to how and why the greatest empire in Mezo-America failed and fell. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty much what i was looking for - another, modern, re-telling of the powerful story of Cortez and Montezuma and the assorted history around this amazing event. Good background- the author takes pains to repeatedly "correct" history and the idea that the few hundreds of Spanish conquered this great empire (by stressing the criticality of the allied city states that were resentful of the Mexica and looking for any chance to overthrow them). In spite of this consistent setting the record straight, the author still makes the story of the Spanish blundering into Tenochtitlan compelling, amazing and... powerful. Point is: author presents a balanced, modern view of this event. Appropriate (but not overdone) context is provided for the central event and a good summary of the later context of Cortez's activities - along with the lengthy court intrigues over his legacy.

[Olli96 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Die Geschichte der Eroberung Mexikos durch die Conquistadoren meinen viele zu kennen. Da ist eines Tages eine Gruppe Spanier unter der Führung von Hernán Cortés in Mexiko eingezogen und die naive indigene Bevölkerung ordnete sich bereitwillig unter. Die Goldschätze wurden ebenfalls ohne Protest ausgehändigt, da die ungebildeten Mexica ihnen keinen Wert zusagten.

Denkste..

Stefan Rinke räumt auf mit falschen Überlieferungen und vorgefertigten Meinungen. Die Darstellung der komplexen politischen Situation und Handlungsstränge wird unter Berücksichtigung verschiedenster, sich teilweise stark widersprechender, Quellen anschaulich beschrieben ohne dabei eine eigene, ''neue'' Wahrheit zu schaffen.

[Carolyn Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A detailed account of Cortes's invasion of Mexico that places the fall of Tenochtitlan within the context of existing Mesoamerican military activity. Rinke provides extensive detail concerning Cortes's early life and Aztec culture. The concluding chapters about the legacy of the conquest of Mexico are excellent and demonstrate how indigenous cultural and religious practices endured under Spanish rule. It was interesting to read about the fates of Montezuma's surviving children, including his son Don Pedro who remained a wealthy and prominent figure. The sheer amount of contextual information, however, sometimes overwhelms the momentum of the narrative and dramatic moments are quickly summarized.

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the Spanish arrived in the new world, they were first seen as gods, and then slowly, the wonder turned to terror. The Spanish had one thing on their mind - gold. They would do anything to get it, and slowly they began working through the country, conducting warfare.

The history that is presented in this book is so well done - and I actually listened to this book twice, as there were so many things that I wanted to hear again, or refresh. I am still almost lost writing this review, as I want to say so many things, but the words are just not wanting to come.

Loved this one! Absolutely one of my favorites for the year.

[Ewan Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything in this book was fascinating; history and historiography both. There are so many narratives that have popped up or been cultivated around Cortés and Montezuma, around the Spaniards and the various nations of modern day Mexico. This book does a great deal to challenge those narratives, some of which are new and some as old as the Conquest itself.
At 320 pages, I only wish it was longer and could go into more depth.

[C McC · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't able to finish this book, which is saying a lot because I rarely fail to finish a book, no matter the circumstances. I really wanted to like this book, I'm pretty sure I'm the target demographic, but the writing failed to be engaging from the jump and even half way through, it just never got better. I'm an avid nonfiction reader and documentary watcher, it's my bread and butter, but this book was unpalatable. I'm so interested in the subject matter too. Very disappointing overall.

[Lucas Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sehr gut aufbereiteter Stoff, der einen zum Weiterlesen zwingt. Die Eroberungszüge sind toll mit Karten dargestellt, auch wenn die ein oder andere zusätzliche Karte nicht geschadet hätte.

[Brigham J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

F**k white people

[Ashley PT]

DNF 15%. I am having a hard time focusing on what is happening. I keep getting distracted.

[Brad Angle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basic detailed history. Not very engaging

[Carl Palmateer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done, starts a little slow by spending time justifying itself but eventually picks up.

[W M · Rating 5 out of 5]

A refreshingly balanced work that provides a peek through an alien cultural window, while simultaneously highlighting the both the triumphant and horror of The Conquest. No major figure is portrayed as a villain or a bumbling superstitious fool, this book does away with most of the outlandish popular myths that have attached themselves to these events. I recognized a greater focus on the diplomatic exchanges and this illuminated a much wider picture, when it came to evaluating decision making. It also provided an excellent summary on the aftermath of The Conquest, highlighting the further spread of Spanish rule and the labor systems that developed.

[Susi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anfangs wollte ich nur durch ein paar Kapitel stöbern, um stichpunktartig Informationen herauszuschreiben. Doch dann war ich so versunken und überrascht über den angenehmen Schreibstil, dass ich alles lesen musste. Dem anfangs formulierten Mythos zur Eroberung und ihren Bedingungen wurde ausführlich auf den Grund gegangen. Und ich liebe ja natürlich auch die verwendeten Belege und Bilder aus den Codices.

[Zeb Kantrowitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the first page you notice that this is an unusual book. It's set up like an outline or legal brief in that every paragraph is labelled with an alphanumeric as are all the section headings and chapters. This gives it a very formal look, and in some ways to my mind establishes what comes next as having an almost biblical feel.

Per Rinke's narrative, everything in the book is backed up by information directly related to the writings of Cortez and the diaries of those who commanded his troops and the religious contingent that travelled along with him. There are also interviews done by later historians who were able to discuss the alliances made and the military formations formed between the indigenous tribes and the Spanish which helped bring down the "Mexica Empire".

This is about as detailed a discussion that you find anywhere, down to what the soldiers wore, the weapons they used and gave to their indigenous allies. For me it was interesting to read about how the Conquistadors used mounted cavalry against an enemy who had never seen horses before.

If you like detail, you will find it here.

[Dale]

Wow. So fascinating to get a glimpse of what happened, considering many available sources and perspectives. Horrible and violent but not prurient.