The Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest by Mathew Restall Book Analysis

📌Category: Books, History
📌Words: 1179
📌Pages: 5
📌Published: 22 February 2022

In the book, The Seven Myths of the Spanish conquest, Mathew Restall argues that the history of the Spanish conquest portrayed a misinterpreted history. Four of the seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest best apply to Mexico. Mexico relates to Restall's four myths in chapters two, three, five, and six. With a different view of accounts of the Spanish conquest, Restall debunks these seven myths that molded history. There may be a fine line of some of Restall's myths and sources that may or may not support these stances. 

Restall suggests that the second myth that correlates with Mexico is chapter two, The Myth of the King's Army. Restall argues in the second chapter that many conquistadors recruited people for the monarchies who were not soldiers or any part of an army. Restall also claims the word soldier was never used in letters that Cortes wrote to the King of Spain.  The letters Cortes wrote to the kings of Spain clearly show that Cortes starts when greeting the letters and about every account.  There is also a missing flaw in translating Cortes using any word of soldiers when writing the King of Spain. In this instance, a letter written by Crotes to the king of Spain translated into English uses the word soldier when explaining him planing to go to war in Vera Cruz.  Cortes explains that he is to bring the crown to Spain because word had spread through towns in Mexico that a new ruler controls Mexico. It seems that Cortes left this detail out to avoid the people he had recruited into his voyage. They were willing to become vessels to the crown.  Though Cortes's account is likely projecting through a conquistador's point of view, there is validity to Restall's words of the second myth being true.

The Myth Of The White Conquistador in Restall's book argues there was a conquistador of color. For Restall debunked the myth by acknowledging that Africans were a significant part of the Spanish conquest. This myth shows that the Spaniards saw the Africans as a replacement for white Spaniards. The roles Africans played were the agents of colonialism or playactor in war.  Restall proves his point that a conquistador of color by the figure of Juan Valiente. Juan Valiente was from West Africa and bought from a slave master at a very young age. When coming to Mexico, Valiente wanted to better himself and convinced his owner to allow him to leave for a better life. With this decision, Valiente became a known conquistador figure in Chile. To clarify, Valiente may not be a conquistador of Mexico, but a prime example of a lost historical figure. The comparison of a conquistador of color in Mexico who had gone by the name of Juan Garrido. Garrido joined the conquest of Mexico in Cortes's expedition at the time.  There are no direct records of Garrido and of what he did during the conquest of Mexico, but there are records of him living in Mexico after the conquest. Being able to have somewhat of documentation that there had been an African conquistador life in Mexico,  Restall can debunk these myths of only viewing a white conquistador who took part in history. It also shows the many extraordinary stories of African conquistadors who were able to have more spotlight within Mexico's history. 

The evidence that Restall uses in chapter five, titled The Myth of (Mis)Communication, argues that there was a middle ground between the Spaniards and the Indigenous people. An example of this middle ground was when Restall used the evidence when Cortes wrote to the king of Spain about the conversation between the Mexica Emporer and himself.  In this letter, Cortes acknowledged that the Mexica Emporer believed that the horse was not gold and that Cortes was not a god. Restall further goes into another letter from Gomara, who had written three decades after this encounter confirming the place and events were actual. Restall claims that Gomara had written in the same speech as Cortes. He was also claiming that Cortes and Moctezuma were not gods.  Restall is trying to show that some communication was happening between the two groups with a language barrier. However, this may seem possible if the argument of Restall's myth of miscommunication does not change that language barrier still play a big part in communication. This also addresses the language barrier and miscommunication between the Spaniards and the Mexican Indigenous people. A prime example of the langue barrier bringing a part of the miscommunication between the two groups is shownthrough the dibujo. The dibujo is a painting that shows an event used to prosecute the convicted. Cortes was able to use the Dibujon when he had witnessed the Indigenous nobles jocking with one another. Cortes was only reading the body langue of the group and not the language. This event caused a massive misunderstanding between the two groups. Even though Cortes heard the accounts that had occurred when the indigenous party apologized through an interpreter, it did not help dissolve the miscommunication between the two groups. Unfortunately, Cortes had already made up his mind and had gotten another version of the events. Cortes wanted this extra dibujo because he wanted to know how many people were there but did not want to know names.  There may be some truths and untruths to Restalls theory of communication; the misconception of cultures is a massive part of a language barrier. However, it can only be partially because of a language barrier that still resonated with the audience as a big part of miscommunication.

Restell quotes his argument in chapter six, titled  The Myth of Desolation meant that the Spanish conquered did not desolate the indigenous's culture. Instead, the indigenous culture is being preserved but also evolved. Restell proved by saying that indigenous cultures were just as imperfect as European cultures."  An example of dispelling this myth is when Restell used an example of the preservation of Mexico's indigenous. This act of preservation is when Mexico's indigenous collaborated with the Spaniards conquistadors to take down other indigenous groups. These indigenous groups collaborating with the Spaniards also promoted messages of Spanish conquest for all to hear across Mexico.  This choice may not be what the indigenous wanted for their preservation.  It did not mean they had any other choices other than the one given to them. To prove indigenous prevention in Mexico would be the Mixtec. The fact that Spain conquered them and with little resistance to the new government and new religion. The changes with the Mixteca did not change their tradition and spoken language. They kept them as the changes around them were happening.  With the Mixteca preservation under Spain's command, they could benefit from this new government. They received land ownership titles and validated their indigenous identity which helped them define themselves in court against Spaniards.  The Mixteca self-preservation proves Restell's myth of desolation, showing that they adapted through change for their survival. The Mixteca also evolved with Spain's new government, however they still kept their cultural traditions alive. 

The myths that correlated with Mexico in chapters two, three, five, and six of Restall's beliefs were some of the central myths of Spanish conquest that hindered history. Restall debunks these myths in his book Seven Myths of The Spanish Conquest. The book shows different views of the historical context that he believes are very misleading to educated masses who had gotten taught for years. Though it is challenging to denounce these myths as untrue, some discrepancies may or may not prove that Restall is not valid.

+
x
Remember! This is just a sample.

You can order a custom paper by our expert writers

Order now
By clicking “Receive Essay”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement. We will occasionally send you account related emails.