Bernal Díaz

An ordinary soldier who took part in the conquest of the Aztecs and in old age wrote "The True History of the Conquest of New Spain".

Life

Ordinary soldier

Bernal Díaz came from a commoner family in Medina del Campo, Spain. In 1514 he set out for the Americas and settled in Cuba. He took part in the expeditions of Córdoba in 1517 and Grijalva in 1518, then followed Cortés through the entire conquest of the Aztecs in 1519–1521, living through "La Noche Triste" and the siege of Tenochtitlan.

Conquest of the Aztecs

After the conquest he received only a modest encomienda, and in old age he settled in Guatemala. Reading the history of the conquest written by López de Gómara, Cortés's chaplain, he felt the book gave all the credit to Cortés alone, so he wrote "The True History of the Conquest of New Spain" from the perspective of an ordinary soldier, recording in detail the cities, people, battles and soldiers' lives along the way.

Wrote in later years

He died in Guatemala in 1584, and the book was not published until many years after his death.

Legacy

His book is one of the most vivid and detailed firsthand accounts of the conquest of the Aztecs, and his description of his first sight of Tenochtitlan, "as if it were a dream," is widely quoted.

Major works & achievements

• "The True History of the Conquest of New Spain"

Did you know? In his book he could name many of his comrades-in-arms and even remembered clearly the coat colors of the horses they rode, though he was over seventy when he wrote it.

Key dates

• 1514Set out for the Americas
• 1517Joined the Córdoba expedition
• 1519Accompanied Cortés in the conquest of the Aztecs
• 1521Took part in the siege of Tenochtitlan
• 1568Completed "The True History of the Conquest of New Spain" (approx.)
• 1584Died in Guatemala