Stefan Rinke is professor and chair of the department of history at the Institute of Latin American Studies and member of the Friedrich Meinecke-Institut at Freie Universität Berlin. From 2014 to 2017 he was President of the European Association of Historians of Latin America. Rinke is the recipient of the José Antonio Alzate Award from the Mexican Academy of Sciences and is the author of fourteen books, most of which have been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, and English.

• AcknowledgmentsIntroductionChapter 1: Setting Off for the New WorldChapter 2: The Expedition BeginsChapter 3: The World of the MexicaChapter 4: TotonacapanChapter 5: TlaxcalaChapter 6: TenochtitlanChapter 7: War and DestructionChapter 8: Endless ConquestChapter 9: The Legacy of the ConquestConclusionNotesBibliographyIndex

A riveting one-volume history of the 1519-21 Spanish Conquest of Mexico... Where the primary sources contradict one another (as they often do), Rinke explains and interprets the differences, instead of eliding complexity in favor of a contrived history. Although numerous historians have studied the downfall of the Aztec state, Rinke's monograph ranks among the best. VERDICT Enthusiastically recommended for students, scholars, and general readers seeking a thoughtful introduction to a complex and controversial historical moment.

Stefan Rinke is professor and chair of the department of history at the Institute of Latin American Studies and member of the Friedrich Meinecke-Institut at Freie Universität Berlin. From 2014 to 2017 he was President of the European Association of Historians of Latin America. Rinke is the recipient of the José Antonio Alzate Award from the Mexican Academy of Sciences and is the author of fourteen books, most of which have been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, and English.

• AcknowledgmentsIntroductionChapter 1: Setting Off for the New WorldChapter 2: The Expedition BeginsChapter 3: The World of the MexicaChapter 4: TotonacapanChapter 5: TlaxcalaChapter 6: TenochtitlanChapter 7: War and DestructionChapter 8: Endless ConquestChapter 9: The Legacy of the ConquestConclusionNotesBibliographyIndex

A riveting one-volume history of the 1519-21 Spanish Conquest of Mexico... Where the primary sources contradict one another (as they often do), Rinke explains and interprets the differences, instead of eliding complexity in favor of a contrived history. Although numerous historians have studied the downfall of the Aztec state, Rinke's monograph ranks among the best. VERDICT Enthusiastically recommended for students, scholars, and general readers seeking a thoughtful introduction to a complex and controversial historical moment.

Stefan Rinke is professor and chair of the department of history at the Institute of Latin American Studies and member of the Friedrich Meinecke-Institut at Freie Universität Berlin. From 2014 to 2017 he was President of the European Association of Historians of Latin America. Rinke is the recipient of the José Antonio Alzate Award from the Mexican Academy of Sciences and is the author of fourteen books, most of which have been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, and English.

• AcknowledgmentsIntroductionChapter 1: Setting Off for the New WorldChapter 2: The Expedition BeginsChapter 3: The World of the MexicaChapter 4: TotonacapanChapter 5: TlaxcalaChapter 6: TenochtitlanChapter 7: War and DestructionChapter 8: Endless ConquestChapter 9: The Legacy of the ConquestConclusionNotesBibliographyIndex

A riveting one-volume history of the 1519-21 Spanish Conquest of Mexico... Where the primary sources contradict one another (as they often do), Rinke explains and interprets the differences, instead of eliding complexity in favor of a contrived history. Although numerous historians have studied the downfall of the Aztec state, Rinke's monograph ranks among the best. VERDICT Enthusiastically recommended for students, scholars, and general readers seeking a thoughtful introduction to a complex and controversial historical moment.