{"product_id":"when-montezuma-met-corts-the-true-story-of-the-meeting-that-changed-history-isbn-9780062427267","title":"When Montezuma Met Cortés: The True Story of the Meeting that Changed History","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA dramatic rethinking of the encounter between Montezuma and Hernando Cortés that completely overturns what we know about the Spanish conquest of the Americas\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn November 8, 1519, the Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortés first met Montezuma, the Aztec emperor, at the entrance to the capital city of Tenochtitlan. This introduction—the prelude to the Spanish seizure of Mexico City and to European colonization of the mainland of the Americas—has long been the symbol of Cortés’s bold and brilliant military genius. Montezuma, on the other hand, is remembered as a coward who gave away a vast empire and touched off a wave of colonial invasions across the hemisphere.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut is this really what happened? In a departure from traditional tellings, \u003cem\u003eWhen Montezuma Met Cortés\u003c\/em\u003e uses “the Meeting”—as Restall dubs their first encounter—as the entry point into a comprehensive reevaluation of both Cortés and Montezuma. Drawing on rare primary sources and overlooked accounts by conquistadors and Aztecs alike, Restall explores Cortés’s and Montezuma’s posthumous reputations, their achievements and failures, and the worlds in which they lived—leading, step by step, to a dramatic inversion of the old story. As Restall takes us through this sweeping, revisionist account of a pivotal moment in modern civilization, he calls into question our view of the history of the Americas, and, indeed, of history itself. \u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA dramatic rethinking of the encounter between Montezuma and Cortés that completely overturns what we know about the Spanish conquest of the Americas\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOn November 8, 1519,\u003c\/em\u003e the Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortés first met Montezuma, the Aztec emperor, at the entrance to the capital city of Tenochtitlan. This introduction—the prelude to the Spanish seizure of Mexico and to European colonization of the mainland of the Americas—has long been the symbol of Cortés’s bold and brilliant military genius. Montezuma, on the other hand, is remembered as a coward who gave away a vast empire and touched off a wave of colonial invasions across the hemisphere.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut is this really what happened? In a departure from the traditional tellings, \u003cem\u003eWhen Montezuma Met Cortés \u003c\/em\u003euses “the Meeting”—as Restall dubs their first encounter—as the entry point into a comprehensive reevaluation of both Cortés and Montezuma. Drawing on rare primary sources and overlooked accounts by conquistadors and Aztecs alike, Restall explores Cortés’s and Montezuma’s posthumous reputations, their achievements and failures, and the worlds in which they lived—leading, step by step, to a dramatic inversion of the old story. As Restall takes us through this sweeping, revisionist account of a pivotal moment in modern civilization, he calls into question our view of the history of the Americas, and, indeed, of history itself.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“Matthew Restall illuminates every topic he touches. His new book is the best study ever--the subtlest, most sensitive, most challenging, and best-informed--on the conquest of Mexico.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFelipe Fernández-Armesto, author of Columbus and Amerigo\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A new, startlingly persuasive picture of what actually happened during the Spanish Conquest, based on a radical question: What if the tough, canny leaders of these native military empires \u003cem\u003edidn’t\u003c\/em\u003e suddenly fold up like wet cardboard at the arrival of a couple of hundred bearded oddities from some faraway place?” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCharles Mann, author of 1491\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A narrative that complicates our understanding of a history that, though well-known, is wrong in many of its details. In correcting it, Restall makes a fine contribution to the history of the New World, one that should inspire other re-evaluations of our cherished stories.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus (online)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A methodical deconstruction of the myths surrounding Hernando Cortés’ “Mexican conquest” and the surrender of Montezuma. . . . Throughout, Restall’s assertions are well-supported and difficult to refute, and the timeline that opens the book is particularly helpful. An engaging revisionist exploration of one of human history’s great lies.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Restall skillfully describes a subtler story of relationships both loving and coercive. . . . Bold.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“In a deeply learned history that reads like a detective story, Restall reveals the Gordian knot of myth and fiction that have long hidden the real history of the encounter between Montezuma and Cortes. The history of the Americas will never be the same.”  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLouis S. Warren, author of God’s Red Son:  The Ghost Dance Religion and the Making of Modern America\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Makes an impressive and nuanced case for why radically reinterpreting the Nov. 8, 1519, encounter between Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortés and Aztec emperor Montezuma leads to a totally different view of the following four centuries . . . . Blending erudition with enthusiasm, Restall has achieved a rare kind of work—serious scholarship that is impossible to put down.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Blending erudition with enthusiasm, Restall has achieved a rare kind of work—serious scholarship that is impossible to put down.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Brilliant deep dive into the history and scholarship. . . . Through diligent research, Restall presents readers with a fascinating view of Montezuma, mounting a convincing argument that Cortes’ self-serving accounts and the traditional narrative are almost surely false.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBookPage\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Restall has a well-earned reputation as a mythbuster in the history of the New World. . . . A lively, original, and readable book aimed at a wider audience. . . . A remarkable achievement.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ecco","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44888820023525,"sku":"NP9780062427267","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780062427267.jpg?v=1730229891","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/when-montezuma-met-corts-the-true-story-of-the-meeting-that-changed-history-isbn-9780062427267","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}