Conquistadors
by Michael Wood
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Book Summary Information
Author: Michael WoodBrand: PBS
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-11-04
ISBN: 0520236912
Number of pages: 288
Publisher: University of California Press
Book Reviews of Conquistadors
Book Review: "Fortune favors the bold" Virgil (70-19 BC)
Summary: 5 Stars
Some books you read and toss; others you read and give away; and then others you read & keep, This is a book you will read & keep.
Michael Wood has captured the history of the sixteenth century conquest of the Aztecs (Mexico) by Hernan Cortez, and conquest of the Incas (Equador to Chile) by Francisco Pizarro. This is not history for the faint of heart. Michael Wood writes critically about both Cortez and Pizarro. He discredits the false bravado that is so often built around the Conquistadors.
For Wood the Pizarro clan (Francisco and his three half-brothers) were nothing more than "ruthless opportunists" who blatantly butchered, tortured, raped, and destroyed the Inca civilization in the name of the King Charles V and militant Catholicism. His commentary about Cortes was not much better. Wood takes space to give the reader a glimpse into the pathology of both Cortes and Pizzaro. It is a psychological nibble and one wishes for more. For both men were psychopaths and considered the gold rich Aztecs and Incas as undeserving of any human rights, and no more than subhuman heathens.
Wood captures the historical side of the Aztec and the Inca - soul-rending . The vanquished were filled with despair and dread, for they saw only an insatiable hunger for gold and women in the conquistadors' souls. They watched the rape and murder of their people under the shadow of the crucifix. In reality Cortes, Pizarro and their colleagues committed nothing short of genocide. When you read Wood's historical account of the conquistador, these men make the war atrocities of the 20th century pale in comparison.
But, there are two judgements that history has passed on these Conquistadors. The first judgement is in regards to their inhuman treatment of the Inca's and Aztecs. The second judgement is regarding them as warriors. These Conquistadors were: bold, courageous, fanatical fighters. They were, on all accounts, superior tacticians. They had state-of-the-art steel swords and armor, horses (mobility) and fearful weapons (harquebus & mechanical crossbows) and knew how to use them. In reality, the Spanish were the greatest soldiers of their age; for a century and a half no Spanish army was ever defeated in pitched battle. And, in the history of war, never have so few conquered so much, so fast. It stuns one to consider that Spaniards were out numbered by perhaps a 1000 to 1 (in the case of Pizzaro). How could Pizarro (or Cortez) conquer vast empires with a small band of Spanish soldiers? The ethno-historian Nigel Davies stated best in his book, `The Inca', "These men thrived on adversity and always displayed an absolute resolve to retain the initiative."
Wood also writes about Orellana's two year voyage from Quito, down the Amazon, and Cabeza de Vaca's eight year journey to Mexico City. Nearly every page has photos, maps and illustrations and the bibliography lists key books, including Indian narratives. This is a must read for anyone traveling to Mexico, Equador or especially Peru, and especially for students of Latin America. Highly recommended.
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