The Conquistadors: A Very Short Introduction

The Conquistadors: A Very Short Introduction is a fine introduction to the history of the Spanish conquests for a general audiences. The authors, both experts on the subject, elucidate how "micropatriotism," the stranger-effect, and Spanish alliances with indigenous conquistadors made the Spanish conquests possible. While I was disappointed the authors devoted so little to the conquest of the Caribbean, this remains an accessible introduction to a complex subject. Dismissive of racist and unproved claims by scholars dating back to the 16th century chronicles and narratives, the authors are quick to show how presumptuous and ill-informed mainstream conclusions are regarding the conquistadors.

Instead of being received as "gods," native societies always perceived them as humans from a remote, distant part of the world (thus playing a role in the aforementioned stranger-effect). Moreover, many of the conquistadors were of African descent, such as Juan Garrido, a few were women, and the vast majority were indigenous leaders or polities who saw the Spanish as arbitrators, a way to access new privileges, and weaken their enemies from other indigenous polities. This also helps push away condescending assumptions regarding Native America as being full of "superstitious" natives who saw Europeans as gods instead of making decisions as rational actors leading advanced civilizations of their own kind.

The text also displays how the Spanish conquistadors were basically armed entrepreneurs, privately funded, and quite uneven in a process of colonialism that lasted for 3 centuries. Some indigenous societies, such as the Mapuche, were never conquered while groups in areas of Colombia, the Yucatan, or the US Southwest took centuries to "conquer." Indeed, many of the touted advantages the Spanish allegedly enjoyed were likely minimal in combat, such as their firearms, the diseases they introduced (which also affected their indigenous allies, and in some cases, the outbreaks only came after the conquest), their horses (sometimes not useful in mountainous terrain or hostile climates), and their steel (which, though stronger than obsidian or wooden weapons utilized by Aztecs or other people of the Mexican central valley, were not always the most convenient to wield). In fact, many Spanish adopted the styles of armor, footwear, head protection, and dress of locals.

Furthermore, many if not most of the conquistadors were not formally trained in war, making their dependence on indigenous allies and African auxiliaries even more necessary. Therefore, an understanding of indigenous socio-political systems is necessary to begin to comprehend how and why so many indigenous polities were willing to side with the Spanish, only to have their privileges revoked after the conquests (such was the fate of the Nahua who made the Spanish conquest of Mexico happen). As a very short book on the subject, Matthew Restall and Felipe Fernandez-Armesto provide an exemplary introduction to a complex event in the creation of the early modern world.