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 León-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, León-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 vanquised instead of the victors. León-Portilla's new Postscript reflects upon the critical importance of these unexpected historical accounts.
From the original reviews:
"A fascinating book... An account of events by the "other side"...Miguel León-Portilla does a masterful job of summarizing the Aztec empire, a way of life of the people, and the situation surrounding the conquest." —Hispanic American Historical Review
"Stark and touching in its depiction of the fate that was to overtake the bewildered people of the Nahuatlan tribe...Simple and moving poetic elegies" —Publishers Weekly
"Inspired editing of original accounts by native Aztec writers ...makes this an unusual and touchingly human book" —Booklist
