Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs by Buddy Levy Bantam

Product Description: In an astonishing work of scholarship that reads like an adventure thriller, historian Buddy Levy records the last days of the Aztec empire and the two men at the center of an epic clash of cultures.

“I and my companions suffer from a disease of the heart which can be cured only with gold.” —Hernán Cortés

It was a moment unique in human history, the face-to-face meeting between two men from civilizations a world apart. Only one would survive the encounter. In 1519, Hernán Cortés arrived on the shores of Mexico with a roughshod crew of adventurers and the intent to expand the Spanish empire. Along the way, this brash and roguish conquistador schemed to convert the native inhabitants to Catholicism and carry off a fortune in gold. That he saw nothing paradoxical in his intentions is one of the most remarkable—and tragic—aspects of this unforgettable story of conquest.

In Tenochtitlán, the famed City of Dreams, Cortés met his Aztec counterpart, Montezuma: king, divinity, ruler of fifteen million people, and commander of the most powerful military machine in the Americas. Yet in less than two years, Cortés defeated the entire Aztec nation in one of the most astonishing military campaigns ever waged. Sometimes outnumbered in battle thousands-to-one, Cortés repeatedly beat seemingly impossible odds. Buddy Levy meticulously researches the mix of cunning, courage, brutality, superstition, and finally disease that enabled Cortés and his men to survive.

Conquistador is the story of a lost kingdom—a complex and sophisticated civilization where floating gardens, immense wealth, and reverence for art stood side by side with bloodstained temples and gruesome rites of human sacrifice. It’s the story of Montezuma—proud, spiritual, enigmatic, and doomed to misunderstand the stranger he thought a god. Epic in scope, as entertaining as it is enlightening, Conquistador is history at its most riveting.

Customer Reviews

5 stars A very compelling work that marries true history with high adventure
Buddy Levy's work on Cortes has to be among the pinnacle of available historical literature on the subject of America's conquest and the key personality that shaped that chapter of history. What's even better is the way Mr. Levy delivers the tale--you'll find it impossible to put down. Whether you are a history buff or a casual reader of historical non-fiction, do yourself a favor and buy this book. Unlike what one may expect with such a scholarly piece, the book is not dense because the author is not pedantic or boorish in his approach. This is not to say that the work lacks historical integrity or that its not thoroughly researched, rather, its because of Levy's writing style that you feel you are watching an epic cinematic work rather than reading a book. Mr. Levy makes it simple and refreshing.

5 stars Great Read
A brilliant synthesis. I thought i knew this subject well but Mr. Levy heightened my experience of it. Wonderfully nuanced descriptions and the characters come to life. Very well done and hard to put down.

5 stars This is a great read
I have read quite a bit about the conquest of the Aztec and the destruction of Tenochtitlan, to include Hernan Cortes' Conquest of Mexico.
This is the easiest and most compelling description I've read to date. Levy makes you feel as if you there as part of Conquest. His description of the smallpox plaque and how that helped Cortes is one of the best analysis of factors that I've read to date. If you want to understand the Conquest, this is the book you need to read.

5 stars Cortez the Conqueror
A terrific book, full of action. Amazingly, this is not a complete biography of Hernan Cortes. The book concentrates on his conquest of the Aztec empire. While you may not support what the spanish did to those peoples they conquered, one must be impressed by Cortez's accomplishments. The story is an amzing adventure. If you saw this in a movie, you would think they fabricated this story to make it more exciting. There is no need to. A must read.

5 stars Conquistador Conquers
Conquistador is a masterpiece of well researched historical knowledge balanced with a swift narrative. The book reads like a wikipedia article, trimming down decades of conflict into some 350 short pages. The book covers one of the greatest conflicts in history, and is truly on a greater scale than the most epic fiction such as Lord of the Rings. Read it. You will not be disappointed.

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