Buddy LevyConquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs

The amazing brutality of the spaniards whos only interest was gold and slaves is depicted without exaggeration .Well written and documented

I read a lot of history, this is not the first book I have read on Cortez, but it is the best. Hard to stop reading, Im a third of the way through and cannot wait to finish.

Buddy Levy offers a researched narrative with epic stakes. Easy-to-read, fun, and accompanied by Levy's wit and attention to detail--this book is great.

I have read the Diary of Cortez, and the Diary of Bernal Diaz. These first person narratives of the conquest of the Aztecs and Mexico is gripping. I wish Hollywood would make an epic movie about it. It's gruesome, graphic, and mystifying. And of course, it is a tragedy for the great civilization of Mesoamerica. Most of the destruction of the Mexican and Native American indigenous peoples was due to disease. Millions of indigenous peoples died from smallpox. It wasn't Cortez's intent to destroy the Aztecs. I honestly think he wanted Montezuma to surrender. Now, was that the right attitude? No. The tragedy is that in their zeal to destroy the devilish religion of the Aztecs, most of the invaluable codex (books) were burned. This is also true of the Spaniards conquest of the Mayans of the Yucatan Peninsula. Did the Aztecs and Mayans practice a blood thirsty religion? Absolutely! They believed if blood was not shed then the universe would end. Crazy stuff. The interesting aspect of this conquest of Mexico is that a princess who was sold into slavery, Malinche, (or Marina), was the key to communicating with the Aztecs and Mayans. This reminds me of Pocahontas saving John Smith. Malinche had Cortez's son, Martin, and then he gave her to one of his commanders. She even went to Spain. A fascinating book.

Fascinating account of Cortes and the Spanish conquistadors journey into and throughout Mexico. The book relays many vivid details and factual accounts by Hernan's men and that of the Aztecs.

I can’t believe they haven’t made a movie of this yet!!!!Reality without a doubt is more exciting than fiction! The twists and turns on of the conquistadors will keep you entertained ! Just amazing!!!

First, Conquistador is well-written and moves at a good pace. It provides sufficient amount of information for an introduction to this subject, and if you're interest is piqued, you can explore other, more in-depth sources.The book is even-handed and not some P.C. 'look what the evil Europeans did to the peaceful and gentle Native Americans.' The Spanish atrocities are documented along with the Aztecs' relentless sacrificing of humans. As the Aztecs heavily taxed tribes and demanded sacrficial victims, it's no wonder so many alligned with Cortes.Truth be told, I came away from this book with respect and I'll go ahead and say it - an admiration for Hernan Cortes. The way he outmaneuvered not only the Aztecs and their Native American enemies and allies, but also his Spanish rivals in the New World is truly remarkable. He didn't conquer Mexico just because smallpox wiped out many of the Aztecs. The way Cortes used combined forces of calvary, cross-bowmen, harquebusiers and even boats in conjunction with Native American allies would've impressed military planners of today. In fact, they would do well to study not only his military tactics, but also the way he used bribes and manipulation in dealing with the native population.Whatever you think about Cortes, this book serves as a great telling of what he did and how he did it.

The story of hernan cortez is fascinating to begin with and the author sets it out in great detail leaving the reader to keep reading on to the next page!

This was a wonderfully written book. An easy read that captured my attention from to back.

Livro de autoria do jornalista americano Buddy Levy, que escreveu os seis obras aventuras históricas de exploradores. Trata-se de um livro de história relatado com as emoções dignas de um narrador de aventuras, como é o caso de Levy. Todo o enredo gira em torno das peripécias do explorador espanhol Hernán Cortés, que empreendeu a conquista de um império (Asteca) com uma força de pouco mais de uma centena de guerreiros espanhóis. Diplomata, político e general, Cortés soube cooptar para a sua causa povos locais, explorando rivalidades adormecidas, ao encontrar o grande imperador Montezuma, utilizou-se de artifícios para controlá-lo politicamente e, uma vez que havia estabelecidos as alianças necessárias, desenvolvidos as táticas e equipamentos necessários, ele apoderou-se da gigante Tenochtitlán, que ocupava parte da área na qual está localizada a atual Cidade do México. A parte mais eletrizante do livro é justamente o cerco final à capital do Império Asteca. Sobre uma ilha, a cidade era cercada de água por todos os lados e o acesso se dava por meio de passarelas fortemente defendidas. Contudo, os navios e armas superiores utilizados pelos espanhóis, bem como a fome e doenças às quais os povo asteca foi submetido, deu a vitória ao intrépido Cortés. De todo modo, a primeira incursão dos europeus pelo planalto mexicano pode ser considerada um dos grandes genocídios da história da humanidade. Milhões de ameríndios pereceram pela guerra ou doenças trazidas do velho mundo.

Presenta una visión histórica balanceada e increíblemente documentada sin sacrificar en lo absoluto la narrativa, que es inmejorable. Entre mis 10 libros favoritos de toda la vida aunque la impresión tiene un detalle, la portada y las páginas de ilustraciones a la mitad del libro, son un poco más angostas que las páginas del texto, es decir, están mal cortadas.

Bislang habe ich bloß die ersten vier Kapitel gelesen - und bin schon jetzt hellauf begeistert! Der Autor schreibt im Romanstil detailliert über die Eroberung des Aztekenreichs durch Cortes. (Die Entdeckung Amerikas durch Columbus und insbesondere die erste Eroberung eines großen präkolumbianischen Reichs durch die Europäer, war wohl eines der folgenreichsten Ereignisse im Laufe der Geschichte.)Durch den Romanstil ist es leicht, in die Ereignisse, in die Geschichte von damals einzutauchen. Möglicherweise wurde hie und da das ein oder andere hinzugeschrieben, um die Story lebhaft zu gestalten, aber Ereignisse und Zitate etc. sind alle durch Quellenangaben nachgewiesen. Zu 99 % dürfte die Eroberung des Aztekenreichs wie im Buch beschrieben, abgelaufen sein.Ich finde das Buch faszinierend! Wie man im Englischen sagt: This Is A Pageturner!

As words fail me, I guess you’ll have to read the book to fully appreciate that above extraordinary claim of mine.