Bernal Díaz del Castillo (1492–1584) was a foot soldier in the army of Mexico's conqueror Hernán Cortés, and participated in the campaigns that led to the fall of the Aztec empire in 1521. This 1928 translation of his journals derives from the 1904 edition by the Mexican historian Genaro García - the first edition based on the original manuscript. Written as a corrective to accounts that overemphasised Cortés' exploits, Díaz's epic includes the experiences of the common soldier: hardship, thirst, long marches and unexpected attacks by rebels. The most complete contemporary chronicle of the Mexican conquest, this important historical document is also a captivating adventure narrative that combines factual accuracy with many dramatic anecdotes. This volume, containing chapters 137–173, describes the fall of Mexico. An appendix prepared by the editor provides a timeline of the 1521 siege based on both Díaz's and Cortés' accounts of the event.

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Product details
- Date Published: August 2010
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9781108017084
- length: 424 pages
- dimensions: 216 x 140 x 24 mm
- weight: 0.54kg
- contains: 2 b/w illus. 1 colour illus. 2 maps
- availability: Available
Table of Contents
Book X. The Return to the Valley:
137. How we marched with all our army on the way to the city of Texcoco
138. How we went to Iztapalapa with Cortés
139. How three pueblo in the neighbourhood of Texcoco sent to ask for peace and pardon
140. How Gonzalo de Sandoval went to Tlaxcala to fetch the timber for the launches
Book XI. Preliminary Expeditions:
141. How our captain Cortés went on an expedition to the peublo of Saltocan
142. How Captain Gonzalo de Sandoval went to Chalco and Tlamanalco with the whole of his army
143. How the slaves were branded in Texcoco
144. How our Captain Cortés went on an expedition
145. About the great thirst that we endured on the march
146. How when we arrived at Texcoco it had been settled among certain of those persons who came with Narvaez to kill Cortés
Book XII. The Siege and Fall of Mexico:
147. How Cortés ordered all the pueblos which were friendly to us in the neighbourhood of Texcoco to make a store of arrows
148. How a review was held in the city of Texcoco
149. How Cortés sought the rowers who were needed to row the launches
150. How Cortés ordered three divisions to go and invest the great city of Mexico
151. How Cortés ordered the twelve launches to be stationed
152. About the battles and encounters that we went through
153. About the way in which we fought, and the many attacks that the Mexicans made on us
154. How Cortés sent three Mexican chieftains to beg Guatemoc to make peace
155. How Guatemoc had arranged with the provinces of Matalzingo and Tulapa and Malinalco and other pueblos to come to his assistance
156. How Gonzalo de Sandoval with twelve launches entered into the part of the city where Guatemoc was and took him provinces
157. What Cortés ordered to be done
Book XIII. The Settlement:
158. How letters reached Cortés that a certain Cristobál de Tápia had arrived at the Port of Vera Cruz
159. How Cortés and the King's officers decided to send to His Majesty all the gold that had accrued
160. How Gonzalo de Sandoval arrived with his army at a pueblo called Tuxtepec
161. How Pedro de Alvarado went to Tututepec to found a town
162. How Francisco de Garay came from Jamaica
163. How the Licentiate Alonzo de Zuazo came in a caravel to New Spain
164. How Cortés sent Pedro de Alvarado to the province of Guatemala
165. How Cortés sent a fleet to pacify and conquer the provinces of Higueras and Honduras
166. How those of us who had settled at Coatzacoalcos were constantly going about pacifying the provinces which revolted against us
167. How our proctors who were in Spain challenged the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Burgos
168. How Pánfilo de Narvaez and Cristobál de Tápia and a pilot named Gonzalo de Umbria, and another soldier named Cárdenas appeared before His Majesty
169. What Cortés was engaged upon after he was invested with the government of New Spain
170. How Captain Hernando Cortés sent to Castile to His Majesty eighty thousand pesos in gold and silver
171. How there came to the Port of Vera Cruz twelve Franciscan Friars
172. How Cortés wrote to His Majesty and sent him thirty thousand pesos de oro
173. How when Cortés learnt that Cristobál de Olid had rebelled he sent against him a captain named Francisco de Las Casas
Appendix
Index.
Look Inside
Author
Bernal Díaz del Castillo
Editor
Genaro García
Translator
Alfred Percival Maudslay