"Whenever we fired our guns, the Indians gave great shouts and whistles, and threw up straw and earth so that we could not see what harm we had done them."

Vivid, powerful and absorbing, this is a first - person account of one of the most amazing military episodes in history: the overthrow of Montezuma's doomed Aztec Empire by Hernan Cortes and his band of adventurers.

Bernal Diaz del Castillo, himself a soldier under Cortes, presents a fascinatingly detailed description of the Spanish landing in Mexico in 1520 and their amazement at the city, the expulsion and flight of the Spaniards, their regrouping and eventual capture of the Aztec capital.

The author brings a deep Catholic sense to his writing. Consequently, this chronicle is not just about how good men (courageous, prudent, just and restrained) brought civilization to a pagan world, but how the author explains that he and his fellow soldiers gave the dignity of the sons of God to the Indians, that they were men of honor, performing a high and unique mission: to bring salvation and the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those who sat in darkness.

The Conquest of New Spain has a compelling immediacy that brings the past and its characters to life and offers a unique eye - witness view of not only an amazing point in history, but a momentous victory for God. J. M. Cohen's translation is supplemented by an introduction (less than integrally Catholic, unfortunately) and maps of the conquered territory.

416 pp. softcover