"The Conquest of New Spain"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses and reviews Bernal Diaz del Castillo's book, "The Conquest of New Spain." The paper analyzes the content of the book and the biases that Diaz del Castillo appears to present in his accounting of events in the book. The paper suggests that "The Conquest of New Spain" raises many troubling ethical questions for a critical reader, reading with a post-colonial, post-modern mindset.

From the Paper:

"Immediately upon reading the title of Bernal Diaz del Castillo's The Conquest of New Spain a critical reader bridles at the title, and expects an imperialistic history. After all, to our postmodern, politically correct ears, Mexico is not 'new Spain,' but an independent nation. When one hears that Diaz del Castillo's account is a 16th century memoir of one of the soldiers who accompanied the conqueror and, in today's view, the modern imperialist, Cortes to the New World of Central America, the reader grows even more suspicious. However, although the author's biases must be acknowledged, this is still an important account of a grounds-eye view of Cortes and his invasion of Central America. It was written after the destruction the Aztec Empire, and according to the author it was designed to deflate rather than inflate the mythology that had grown up around Cortes' invasion."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Castillo, Bernal Diaz del. The Conquest of New Spain. Translated and Introduction by John M. Cohen. New York: Penguin Classics, 1963.

More papers on "The Conquest of New Spain":

• Analytical Essay # 13691 : "The Conquest Of New Spain" by Bernal Diaz"
• Essay # 48979 : "The Conquest of the Americas"
• Essay # 3064 : "Revenge of the Spaniards"

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