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Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs | 
 enlarge | Author: Buddy Levy
Publisher: Bantam
Category: Book
List Price: $27.50
Buy New: $15.45
You Save: $12.05 (44%)
New (33) from $15.45
Avg. Customer Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 45045
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 448
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.8 x 1.1
ISBN: 055380538X
Dewey Decimal Number: 972.02
EAN: 9780553805383
ASIN: 055380538X
Publication Date: June 24, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| • | Audio Download - Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs (Unabridged) | | • | Kindle Edition - Conquistador:Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs | | • | Audio CD - Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs | | • | Audio CD - Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs | | • | Audio CD - Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs |
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Product Description
In an astonishing work of scholarship that reads like an adventure thriller, historian Buddy Levy records the last days of the Aztec empire and the two men at the center of an epic clash of cultures.
“I and my companions suffer from a disease of the heart which can be cured only with gold.” —Hernan Cortes
It was a moment unique in human history, the face-to-face meeting between two men from civilizations a world apart. Only one would survive the encounter. In 1519, Hernan Cortes arrived on the shores of Mexico with a roughshod crew of adventurers and the intent to expand the Spanish empire. Along the way, this brash and roguish conquistador schemed to convert the native inhabitants to Catholicism and carry off a fortune in gold. That he saw nothing paradoxical in his intentions is one of the most remarkable—and tragic—aspects of this unforgettable story of conquest.
In Tenochtitlan, the famed City of Dreams, Cortes met his Aztec counterpart, Montezuma: king, divinity, ruler of fifteen million people, and commander of the most powerful military machine in the Americas. Yet in less than two years, Cortes defeated the entire Aztec nation in one of the most astonishing military campaigns ever waged. Sometimes outnumbered in battle thousands-to-one, Cortes repeatedly beat seemingly impossible odds. Buddy Levy meticulously researches the mix of cunning, courage, brutality, superstition, and finally disease that enabled Cortes and his men to survive.
Conquistador is the story of a lost kingdom—a complex and sophisticated civilization where floating gardens, immense wealth, and reverence for art stood side by side with bloodstained temples and gruesome rites of human sacrifice. It’s the story of Montezuma—proud, spiritual, enigmatic, and doomed to misunderstand the stranger he thought a god. Epic in scope, as entertaining as it is enlightening, Conquistador is history at its most riveting.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
A very compelling work that marries true history with high adventure September 30, 2008
Buddy Levy's work on Cortes has to be among the pinnacle of available historical literature on the subject of America's conquest and the key personality that shaped that chapter of history. What's even better is the way Mr. Levy delivers the tale--you'll find it impossible to put down. Whether you are a history buff or a casual reader of historical non-fiction, do yourself a favor and buy this book. Unlike what one may expect with such a scholarly piece, the book is not dense because the author is not pedantic or boorish in his approach. This is not to say that the work lacks historical integrity or that its not thoroughly researched, rather, its because of Levy's writing style that you feel you are watching an epic cinematic work rather than reading a book. Mr. Levy makes it simple and refreshing.
Great Read September 13, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
A brilliant synthesis. I thought i knew this subject well but Mr. Levy heightened my experience of it. Wonderfully nuanced descriptions and the characters come to life. Very well done and hard to put down.
This is a great read September 2, 2008
I have read quite a bit about the conquest of the Aztec and the destruction of Tenochtitlan, to include Hernan Cortes' Conquest of Mexico.
This is the easiest and most compelling description I've read to date. Levy makes you feel as if you there as part of Conquest. His description of the smallpox plaque and how that helped Cortes is one of the best analysis of factors that I've read to date. If you want to understand the Conquest, this is the book you need to read.
Cortez the Conqueror August 28, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
A terrific book, full of action. Amazingly, this is not a complete biography of Hernan Cortes. The book concentrates on his conquest of the Aztec empire. While you may not support what the spanish did to those peoples they conquered, one must be impressed by Cortez's accomplishments. The story is an amzing adventure. If you saw this in a movie, you would think they fabricated this story to make it more exciting. There is no need to. A must read.
Conquistador Conquers August 26, 2008
Conquistador is a masterpiece of well researched historical knowledge balanced with a swift narrative. The book reads like a wikipedia article, trimming down decades of conflict into some 350 short pages. The book covers one of the greatest conflicts in history, and is truly on a greater scale than the most epic fiction such as Lord of the Rings. Read it. You will not be disappointed.
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