The broken spears : the Aztec account of the Conquest of Mexico

Beltrán, Alberto. (Illustrator). León-Portilla, Miguel. (Editor).

Summary: For hundreds of years, the history of the conquest of Mexico and the defeat of the Aztecs has been told in the words of the Spanish victors. Miguel León-Portilla has long been at the forefront of expanding that history to include the voices of indigenous peoples. In this new and updated edition of his classic The Broken Spears, León-Portilla has included accounts from native Aztec descendants across the centuries. These texts bear witness to the extraordinary vitality of an oral tradition that preserves the viewpoints of the vanquished instead of the victors. León-Portilla's new Postscript reflects upon the critical importance of these unexpected historical accounts.

Record details

ISBN: 9780807055007 (pbk.)
Physical Description: print
xlix, 204 p. : ill., maps ; 21 cm.
Edition: Expanded and updated ed.
Publisher: Boston, MA : Beacon Press, 2006.

Content descriptions

General Note:	"Originally published in Spanish under the title of Visión de los vencidos, 1959"--T.p. verso. Translated from Nahuatl into Spanish by Angel María Garibay K. ; English translation by Lysander Kemp. Includes a new postscript by the author (2006). Foreword by J. Jorge Klor de Alva.
Bibliography, etc. Note:	Includes bibliographical references (p. 193-196) and index.
Formatted Contents Note:	Omens foretelling the arrival of the Spaniards -- First reports of the Spaniards' arrival -- The messengers' journeys -- Motecuhzoma's terror and apathy -- The Spaniards march on Tlaxcala and Cholula -- The gifts of gold: the god Tezcatlipoca appears -- The Spaniards are welcomed in Tezcoco -- The Spaniards arrive in Tenochtitlan -- The massacre in the main temple during the fiesta of Toxcatl -- The night of sorrows -- The siege of Tenochtitlan -- Spanish raids into the besieged city -- The surrender of Tenochtitlan -- The story of the conquest as told by the anonymous authors of Tlatelolco -- Elegies on the fall of the city -- Aftermath.