True History of the Conquest of New Spain

True History of the Conquest of New Spain - Volume I

The raw and flamboyant testimony of the last conquistador.

In 1514, a young soldier named Bernal Díaz del Castillo embarks for the New World. He does not yet know that he is about to take part in one of the most extraordinary and violent events in human history: the fall of the Aztec Empire.

Written several decades after the events to restore the “truth” in the face of official accounts that honored only Hernán Cortés, this text is a landmark of testimonial literature. Bernal Díaz does not speak as a diplomat or a court historian, but as a soldier. With striking realism, he describes hunger, fear, fierce battles, the glitter of gold, but also the fascination and dread born of encountering a radically different civilization.

From the arrival on the shores of Yucatán to the heart of the lakeside city of Tenochtitlan, the reader follows step by step this handful of men embarking on a senseless epic. Along the way, we discover the crucial role of the interpreter doña Marina, known as La Malinche, the psychological complexity of Emperor Montezuma, and the brutality of human sacrifice.

This prestige edition includes

• The complete text of Bernal Díaz del Castillo’s chronicle.
• A complete critical apparatus, including D. Jourdanet’s study of the influence of climates and geography on the conquest.
• An original historical analysis, “The Gold of the Conquests and the Eclipse of Spain,” devoted to the global economic consequences of this confrontation.
• Period maps tracing the conquistadors’ route.

More than a war narrative, a total immersion in the clash of two worlds.

Why read this edition?

• Authenticity: Díaz asserts his status as an eyewitness and sets his account against the official versions.
• The soldier’s perspective: the collective sacrifice of the 450 soldiers takes precedence over the sole figure of Cortés.
• The clash of cultures: the grandeur of Mexico, compared with Venice or Constantinople, stands alongside the horror inspired by Aztec rituals.
• An enhanced edition: the economic, medical, and geographical analyses give this 2026 reissue a modern, scientific dimension.

Planned digital formats: EPUB, Kindle, and PDF.