The Broken Spears 2007 Revised Edition

by Leon-Portilla, Miguel; Kemp, Lysander (Translator); Klor de Alva, J. Jorge (Foreword)

• ISBN13: 9780807055007
• ISBN10: 080705500X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-11-15
• Publisher: BEACON PRESS

Summary

A new expanded version of the classic account of the Spanish conquest of Mexico, as told by Aztec voices-with a new Postscript by the editor For hundreds of years, the history of the conquest of Mexico and the defeat of the Aztecs has been told in the words of the Spanish victors. Miguel Leon-Portilla has long been at the forefront of expanding that history to include the voices of indigenous peoples. In this new and updated edition of his classic The Broken Spears, Leon-Portilla has included accounts from native Aztec descendants across the centuries. These texts bear witness to the extraordinary vitality of an oral tradition that preserves the viewpoints of the vanquished instead of the victors. Leon-Portilla's new Postscript reflects upon the critical importance of these unexpected historical accounts.

Author Biography

Miguel León-Portilla, renowned historian and anthropologist, is best known for his work regarding Nahuatl history. His works include The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico; Native Meso-American Spirituality; and In the Language of Kings: An Anthology of Mesoamerican Literature—Pre-Columbian to the Present. León-Portilla studied at Loyola University and National Autonomous University.

Table of Contents

Omens foretelling the arrival of the Spaniards	p. 3
First reports of the Spaniards' arrival	p. 13
The messengers' journeys	p. 21
Motecuhzoma's terror and apathy	p. 32
The Spaniards march on Tlaxcala and Cholula	p. 37
The gifts of gold : the god Tezcatlipoca appears	p. 50
The Spaniards are welcomed in Tezcoco	p. 56
The Spaniards arrive in Tenochtitlan	p. 62
The massacre in the main temple during the Fiesta of Toxcatl	p. 70
The night of sorrows	p. 83
The siege of Tenochtitlan	p. 91
Spanish raids into the besieged city	p. 103
The surrender of Tenochtitlan	p. 115
The story of the conquest as told by the anonymous authors of Tlatelolco	p. 127
Elegies on the fall of the city	p. 145
Aftermath	p. 150
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