Conquete Du Mexique, La

DESCRIPTION: Cortés' personal account of the conquest of Mexico is narrated in 5 letters addressed to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. These cartas de relación, are his only surviving writings. A specialist writes: "The Cartas de relación have enjoyed an unequaled popularity among students of the Conquest of Mexico. Cortés was a good writer. His letters to the emperor, on the conquest, deserve to be classed among the best Spanish documents of the period. They are, of course, colored so as to place his own achievements in relief, but, withal, he keeps within bounds & doesn't exaggerate, except in matters of Indian civilization & the numbers of population as implied by the size of the settlements. Even there he uses comparatives only, judging from outward appearances & from impressions. Historians, sociologists & political scientists use them to glean information about the Aztec Empire & the clash between the European & Indian cultures.