The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico

Bernal Diaz del Castillo (1495-1584) served under Cortes through the entire Mexican campaign, and his narrative, one of only four extant firsthand accounts, is both an invaluable document and a spectacular epic. He watched as Cortes sank his own Spanish ships, making desertion impossible and committing his small band of conquistadors irrevocably to the Conquest. He bore witness to the imprisonment of Montezuma in his own palace and was privy to the counsels of the great leaders throughout the Campaign.

Bernal Diaz del Castillo fought in over one hundred battles against Mexico. His account of the conquest is one of only four firsthand accounts.