The True History of the Conquest of New Spain

Soldier of fortune and 16th century Spanish conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo is best known today for his first-hand accounts of Spain’s expeditions to the New World. The son of a prominent regidor of Medina del Campo, Diaz del Castillo left home in 1514 at age eighteen to join his first expedition to the New World, that of Pedrarias Davila. This expedition would be the largest of all the Spanish expeditions with nineteen vessels and over fifteen hundred people. Despite the fact that the expedition suffered massive famine and epidemic, killing more than half of the voyagers, Diaz del Castillo was deterred in his ambition for adventure, wealth, and glory. Diaz del Castillo would join subsequent journeys to the Yucatan in 1517 as part of the Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba expedition, in 1518 as part of the Juan de Grijalva expedition, and finally in 1518 as part of the Hernan Cortes expedition. Written fifty years after these voyages to Mexico, “The True History of the Conquest of New Spain” describes the diverse native peoples that the Spanish encountered there and the numerous battles of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire. In contrast to the first-hand accounts of Bartolome de las Casas, Diaz del Castillo’s account seeks to portray the conquistadors in a more favorable light, emphasizing their humanity, honesty, and intent of bringing Christianity to the New World. Contained here in this volume is the unabridged translation of John Ingram Lockhart.