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Matthew Restall

Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest 1st Edition

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Here is an intriguing exploration of the ways in which the history of the Spanish Conquest has been misread and passed down to become popular knowledge of these events. The book offers a fresh account of the activities of the best-known conquistadors and explorers, including Columbus, Cortés, and Pizarro.

Using a wide array of sources, historian Matthew Restall highlights seven key myths, uncovering the source of the inaccuracies and exploding the fallacies and misconceptions behind each myth. This vividly written and authoritative book shows, for instance, that native Americans did not take the conquistadors for gods and that small numbers of vastly outnumbered Spaniards did not bring down great empires with stunning rapidity. We discover that Columbus was correctly seen in his lifetime--and for decades after--as a briefly fortunate but unexceptional participant in efforts involving many southern Europeans. It was only much later that Columbus was portrayed as a great man who fought against the ignorance of his age to discover the new world. Another popular misconception--that the Conquistadors worked alone--is shattered by the revelation that vast numbers of black and native allies joined them in a conflict that pitted native Americans against each other. This and other factors, not the supposed superiority of the Spaniards, made conquests possible.

The Conquest, Restall shows, was more complex--and more fascinating--than conventional histories have portrayed it. Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest offers a richer and more nuanced account of a key event in the history of the Americas.

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ISBN-10

0195176111
ISBN-13

978-0195176117
Edition

1st
Publisher

Oxford University Press
Publication date

October 28, 2004
Language

English
Dimensions

9.2 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
Print length

240 pages

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Editorial Reviews

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"Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest is an engaging and highly readable account of the history of the conquest of the Amerias."--Jennifer Jobb, Against the Current

"A daring revisionist critique.... Restall's provocative analysis, wide-ranging scholarship and lucid prose make this a stimulating contribution to the debate on one of history's great watersheds."--Publishers Weekly

"This is an important book. It should be read by all high school world history teachers, and by professors of the same....a powerful indictment of the myths that we all inadvertently rely on to explain a complex and distant period. It will undoubtedly stir up a discussion about the reality of these myths and what others might find in both popular and scholarly writing in this field, and others." --American Historical Review

Book Description

A provocative look at the distorted history of the Spanish Conquest

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 28, 2004
Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0195176111
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0195176117
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #780,840 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #64 in Latin American History (Books)
- #111 in Historiography (Books)
- #2,558 in European History (Books)
Customer Reviews:
(284)

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284 global ratings

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Customers find this book interesting and insightful, with great research done by the author. One customer notes that it provides nuance to the standard narrative, while another mentions it serves as a must-read for American and European readers.

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24 customers mention content, 23 positive, 1 negative

Customers find the book interesting and insightful, with one customer noting how it provides nuance to the standard narrative.

This is an excellent book that shows other aspects of the conquest, that will enrich the information about this time.Read more

Good quality. Good price. Arrived quickly.Read more

...It was an interesting read. It brings up some old 'myths' or things our teachers/textbooks taught us might not be that accurate....Read more

Excellent Read that sheds a light on some of the myths that that have developed over the centuries regarding the conquest of Mexico.Read more

9 customers mention informative, 9 positive, 0 negative

Customers find the book informative, with great research done by the author, and one customer notes it serves as an excellent book to contradict mainstream historical content.

No doubt the author has done his research, brings to light many historical fallacies but it is not a book that takes hold of one due to the writing...Read more

"Seven Myths" is one of the most important pieces of revisionist history with respect to how the Spanish pressed their conquest of those...Read more

An excellent, well-written, and very informed account of the Spanish conquest, beyond all the lies and tergiversations of the Black Legend....Read more

...I like the fact that the author presents different sources so you can make your own conclusions and also to research on different sources.Read more

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rower in Austin
Insightful read
Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2026
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An insightful book. A great read for those interested in our Latin American neighbors.

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Daniel Morgan
Read this book if you live anywhere in the Americas
Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2021
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
This is a phenomenal book, and I think everyone who lives in the Western Hemisphere should read this.

The author first explains that this is not just a battle of myth vs fact or of conquistador lies vs historian's truth. Rather, this book is about how the Conquest is remembered and has been remembered for 500 years. In a sense, this is a dialogue between three histories - the primary accounts from the historical moment, the subsequent secondary histories, and the most modern histories with the benefit of their own research and evidence. Myths are NOT lies - myths are real to their progenitors, and modern history can be based on myth (including the many modern histories based on some of these myths).

With that being said, here are the 7 myths which Restall brilliantly dispels.

1. Myth of a few great men - perpetuated by modern pop history.
2. Myth of Spanish armies sent by the king - perpetuated by modern pop history.
3. Myth of only a handful Spanish conquistadors - originated with conquistadors.
4. Myth of a complete conquest - originated with conquistadors.
5. Myth of miscommunication - perpetuated by modern academic historians.
6. Myth of the destruction of native culture - perpetuated by modern pop and academic history.
7. Myth of Spanish superiority - perpetuated by conquistadors, modern academic, and modern pop history.

For me, the most important feature of this book is that throughout the text it emphasizes that Native cultures did not simply wither or collapse - they adapted, they accommodated, they collaborated, they resisted, and they demonstrated a vitality and resilience that outlasted the Empire itself. The book also emphasizes that these 7 myths - while they do NOT reflect reality - are not lies. Rather, they are myths which were earnestly believed by many people in the service of particular worldviews or material goals, and perpetuated not only by conquistadors but also perpetuated in academic history and pop history up to the present. I think that is important because it demonstrates how pervasive these myths are and why it is therefore important for people to unlearn them.

My one critique is that I disagreed somewhat with the Epilogue, in which Restall attempts to provide his own reasons for the real causes of Conquest. For instance he lists specifically steel swords, which I would argue is not very impactful. A handful of Spanish swordsmen is inconsequential in the face of thousands of enemy soldiers, especially in light of the fact that most of the Spanish themselves were not even proper soldiers, that they depended on Native allies, and that many Spanish entradas failed. I am also not sure if disease is convincing as a causative factor given that 1) chronologically the most severe epidemics occurred during/after the Conquest and cannot be separated from the broader ecology of imperialism, and 2) even with disease, Indians were still overwhelmingly the majority throughout the mainland. Despite that caveat, I still highly recommend this book to everyone.

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22 people found this helpful

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nagrom
Seven Myths present a new approach
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2014
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
A different approach to the history of the conquest of the Aztec Empire by Cortez. If the reader has studied the history as presented in other writing, this will give him/her a new angle to contemplate.

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5 people found this helpful

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Desert Rat
Confirms some suspicions
Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2020
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
Most books claiming to refute myths are boring. This one is different because it uses the myth as a starting point to explore associated matters in greater depth than usual.

To be honest the first chapter tended to sell me on the book because the author reaches much the same conclusions about Columbus that I had some time earlier. Namely that there were other Iberian adventurers who were on the verge of making landfall in the new world at about that time. Columbus was indeed first but was no greater or lesser an explorer than the others who struct land shortly after. Indeed there has been speculation for decades that Portuguese may have “discovered” Canada ten to twenty years earlier - the documentation is strong enough for plausibility but not strong enough (likely never will be) to confirm. This does not make the event of 1492 any less significant or make any less capable an explorer. Only one person can win the Boston Marathon but that person is only slightly faster than the next five remarkable athletes.

One of my biggest surprises is regarding the nature of the letters Cortez send back to the King. In reading them I realized that they were obviously self serving. What I did not realize was that were formalistic, almost legal boiler plate. De Leon, Pizzaro and others wrote similar accounts and sent them back to the King. Generally the King did not read them an no one expected that he would. They were intended for royal bureaucrats and often ended stuffed away unread in the royal archives. Cortez’s are unique only in that they were “leaked”. The author uses this as a starting point to describe the Spanish patronage system of the time which was the structure that underlay the governance of the Spanish Empire. Its root were in medieval law and custom combined with the experience of the Iberian reconquista. To me, some of the machinations read like chapters from The Godfather. — but the origins of the Sicilian mafia date from about the same period!

There is much more and this is not a book outline, just a recvomendation.

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13 people found this helpful

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TH
Essential Reading
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2013
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
"Seven Myths" is one of the most important pieces of revisionist history with respect to how the Spanish pressed their conquest of those parts of the Americas that came under their influence. It challenges and gives nuance to the standard narrative at almost every turn. One must know that narrative, as told, for instance, by Hugh Thomas in Conquest, in order to appreciate the depth of research that went into the "Seven Myths" and the changes in perspective it demands of those desiring to understand how history changing was the encounter between Europe and the Americas. The bibliography is definitive up to the time of publication.

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16 people found this helpful

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FL3
Read a general history instead
Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2020
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
If you have a decent (acquired pre-1990-2000) historical education then this book will not be of much use to you. If you have little historical education then you will learn a great deal though you will be cheated in some areas and rewarded in others.

It’s pretty clear that Prof. Restall lacks the military education of those who taught me. He discounts far too much from what the Spaniards and their allies accomplished. I suspect he knows that he does them injustice and is ok with that.

However, the professor has put in the work and knows his topic. You will learn and will not feel that you wasted your time. But please balance this reading with others.

The conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards and their native allies was an impressive feat of arms and the leadership, tenacity, military skill and courage it required is not something to be lightly dismissed.

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24 people found this helpful

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Dr D
The where, how and why of the legends
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 2, 2017
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Really useful stuff. Most legends are 'wrong' and this explains where, how and why the Latin American ones are.

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José Antonio Martínez Ramos
Tema muy interesante ahora que se esta poniendo de moda cuestionar el pasado.
Reviewed in Spain on January 1, 2024
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Lo estoy leyendo. Lo que he leido hasta ahora me gusta. Es un tema de actualidad ahora que se está poniendo de moda cuestionar el pasado, juzgandolo con criterioa actuales sin tener en cuenta que cada tiempo tiene su tiempo.

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Anthony John Carton
Excellent introduction to a Dark period in history
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 20, 2024
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I have no comment here

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A. Newton
Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 23, 2012
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
If you have read the account of eyewitness Bernal Diaz (Penguin does an abridged version), not much of this will come as a surprise. If your only knowledge of the Spanish conquest comes from 19th or early 20th century popular histories, prepare to be amazed. It rather belittles the grit of the conquistadores - I cannot imagine the author toughing it out in some of the scrapes they got into. If you can bear the PC tone, you will get some arguments worth reading, but I was a little disappointed.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful read

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this book if you live anywhere in the Americas

4.0 out of 5 stars Seven Myths present a new approach

5.0 out of 5 stars Confirms some suspicions

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Reading

3.0 out of 5 stars Read a general history instead

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars The where, how and why of the legends

5.0 out of 5 stars Tema muy interesante ahora que se esta poniendo de moda cuestionar el pasado.

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction to a Dark period in history

3.0 out of 5 stars Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest

Insightful read

Read this book if you live anywhere in the Americas

Seven Myths present a new approach

Confirms some suspicions

Essential Reading

Read a general history instead

The where, how and why of the legends

Tema muy interesante ahora que se esta poniendo de moda cuestionar el pasado.

Excellent introduction to a Dark period in history

Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest