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.
Author(s): Miguel León-Portilla
Edition: Expanded & updated
Publisher: Beacon Press
Year: 2006
Language: English
Commentary: True ePub
Pages: 204
Tags: Aztec Empire;Mexico;Conquistadors;Spain;History;
Illustrations
Translator’s Note
Foreword
Introduction
Chapter One
Omens Foretelling the Arrival of the Spaniards
Chapter Two
First Reports of the Spaniards’ Arrival
Chapter Three
The Messengers’ Journeys
Chapter Four
Motecuhzoma’s Terror and Apathy
Chapter Five
The Spaniards March on Tlaxcala and Cholula
Chapter Six
The Gifts of Gold: The God Tezcatlipoca Appears
Chapter Seven
The Spaniards Are Welcomed in Tezcoco
Chapter Eight
The Spaniards Arrive in Tenochtitlan
Chapter Nine
The Massacre in the Main Temple during the Fiesta of Toxcatl
Chapter Ten
The Night of Sorrows
Chapter Eleven
The Siege of Tenochtitlan
Chapter Twelve
Spanish Raids into the Besieged City
Chapter Thirteen
The Surrender of Tenochtitlan
Chapter Fourteen
The Story of the Conquest as Told by the Anonymous Authors of Tlatelolco
Chapter Fifteen
Elegies on the Fall of the City
Chapter Sixteen
Aftermath
