Quote:
Originally Posted by Black Diamond Bay
Has anyone else here ever read the Discover & Conquest of Mexico, written by Bernal Diaz?
I know he wrote it a good 30 years after the incidents in question, and that there are some occasional inaccuracies in his timeline (which appear to all be documented in the footnotes). However, I also remember one of my professors telling us that many people deem it to be largely inaccurate. After reading about half of it, I'm not sure how anyone who wasn't actually there could possibly know how accurate/inaccurate the book is. Anyone have any insight on this?
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I have read some of Diaz's writings and they are fascinating. I think that his accounts are accurate from his biased point of view. He openly challenges Cortes' account of the events of the conquest and states that his account is the only accurate one. His words should be viewed as accurate but with the understanding that he is biased (he writes from the view of a common soldier).
More interesting to me are the Nahua and Mexica accounts (See Florentine Codex). Specificaly interesting to me is the Nahua viewpoint of the purpose of war. (Not for conquest but to gather worthy warrior / sacrifices to their gods).