The History of the Indies of New Spain - (Civilization of the American Indian) by Fray Diego Duran (Paperback)

About the Book

Fray Diego Duran's History of the Indians of New Spain, newly translated by Doris Heyden, is a vivid evocation of the Aztec world before the Spanish conquest. Based on a Nahuatl chronicle now lost and on interviews with living Aztec informants, Duran's History describes the intrigues and court life of the elite. Duran chronicles daily life in times of war and in times of flood and drought, when people sold their children for a handful of corn. This definitive unabridged translation is accompanied by Heyden's introduction and annotations, which provide background on recent studies of colonial Mexico and explanations of many details of the History.

Book Synopsis

Volume 210 in the Civilization of the American Indian Series Durán traces the history of the Aztecs from their mythic origins to the destruction of the empire, when bearded strangers came from the east in "houses floating on the water." He tells of Cortés's alliance with the enemies of the Aztecs, the ensuing battles, and the death of Motecuhzoma II. Durán, a sixteenth-century Dominican friar, was born in Spain but raised in Mexico. His firsthand experience of Mexican culture and fluency in the Nahuatl language made him one of the most sympathetic and knowledgeable of the missionary-ethnographers. He based his History on a Nahuatl chronicle now lost as well as on interviews with living Aztec informants.