RaveAmericas QuarterlyThe Mexican historian explains the background to those voyages and his total command of the details is the key to the book’s success ... Cervantes judiciously lays out the narratives we do have and helps steer the reader toward the most likely version of events. He frequently questions the official versions and paints rounded pictures of the conquerors, the vanquished indigenous leaders, and the worlds they inhabited in the late 15th and early 16th centuries ... The book is excellent in describing the rich and sophisticated worlds they encountered. Cervantes’ description of Tenochtitlán and the battles to control it are vivid, and the portraits of Moctezuma, Atawallpa, and the power struggles that proceeded the fall of the Inca empire are equally fantastic ... The book is weighty, but it is rarely slow or dull...In fact, it reads like both an adventure story and a travelogue, with Cervantes an enthralling guide ... If there are quibbles, they are over the slightly uneven pace. There is a heavy accent on the early expeditions in the Caribbean and Mexico ... But those are minor grumbles. Conquistadores is a tour de force and should be welcomed by anyone interested in Latin American history.
