John Huxtable Elliott

Letters from Mexico

Hernan Cortess Cartas de Relacion, written over a seven-year period to Charles V of Spain, provide an extraordinary narrative account of the conquest of Mexico from the founding of the coastal town of Veracruz until Cortess journey to Honduras in 1525. Pagdens English translation has been prepared from a close examination of the earliest surviving manuscript and of the first printed editions, and he also provides a new introduction offering a bold and innovative interpretation of the nature of the conquest and Cortess involvement in it. J. H. Elliots introductory essay explains Cortess conflicts with the Crown and with Diego Velazquez, the governor of Cuba.

The Mental World of Hernán Cortés

So many books and articles have been devoted to the life and career of He´rnan Cortes that it may well seem presumptuous to add to their number. But there is still no satisfactory biography, and it is only quite recently that his writings—his ‘letters of relation’ to Charles V, his general correspondence, and his military and administrative directives—have been subjected to the close critical scrutiny which they deserve. In particular, Dr. Richard Konetzke has drawn attention to the constructive aspects of Cortess career as the founder of a colonial society, while an Austrian historian, Dr. Viktor Frankl, has analysed with extraordinary ingenuity Cortess idea of empire and his indebtedness to Spanish medieval traditions and ways of thought. Other important contributions have been made by Mexicans:Dr Manuel Alcala, who has drawn an extended parallel between

The Old World and the New, 1492-1650.

Preface 1. The uncertain impact 2. The process of assimilation 3. The new frontier 4. The Atlantic world Select bibliography Index.