Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest

Matthew Restall’s book Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest is a collection of related essays detailing seven historical myths as well as multiple connected sub-myths. Restall is a historian of Latin American history who interrogates seven accepted “truths” about the Conquest, tracing their origins and comparing them to other sources of evidence that exposes them as myths. Restall defines “myth” as “something fictitious that is commonly taken to be true, partially or absolutely” (xvi). Restall analyzes and compares primary sources (documents written during the colonial period) written in Spanish and Nahuatl to create a fuller and more accurate history of the Spanish Conquest. He encourages readers to question accepted truths and to place sources and events within broader historical contexts. Restall’s work received positive reviews from fellow academics upon its publication in 2003.

This study guide uses the 2003 edition published by Oxford University Press.

Plot Summary

Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest confronts the mythical images of the Conquest that colonial writers and conquest actors—such as Bernal Díaz, Hernán Cortés, and Christopher Columbus—crafted. In the centuries that followed, including into the present era, historians have been influenced by this colonial mythmaking. Restall analyzes well-known Spanish primary sources alongside Indigenous and West African material since both Indigenous Americans and Africans played significant roles in Conquest history. In addition to relying on written material, Restall interrogates representations of the Conquest in colonial and modern art, including visual arts and film. Each chapter of the book centers on a specific myth, “dissects it, and places it in the context of alternative sources of evidence.” (xvi).

The seven myths featured in the book are:

1. A few “great men,” like Christopher Columbus, Hernán Cortés, and Francisco Pizarro conquered the Americas because of their inherent exceptional abilities. Instead, these men drew upon previously established trends and were part of larger global historical processes.
2. The Spanish crown sent armies of men to subdue the Americas. Actually, the conquistadors were not professional soldiers, and they acquired most of their military experience in the Americas. The conquistadors were men who funded private expeditions approved by the monarchy.
3. Europeans exclusively carried out the Conquest. In reality, Indigenous allies and Black enslaved or free auxiliaries played significant roles in the Conquest that historians have overlooked when studying extant colonial sources.
4. Conquest was swift and complete after the fall of Tenochtitlán, the Mexican capital, to the Spanish. It took years for the Spanish to conquer the Americas and the Conquest was not completed in the early modern period.
5. The Spanish were superior communicators to submissive Indigenous people, which explains their success. This myth has given rise to the countermyth that miscommunication blunders explain the Conquest. Restall suggests there is a “middle ground” between the two myths.
6. Conquest destroyed Indigenous societies and culture. Instead, Indigenous peoples found new ways to preserve their culture and societies under colonial rule.
7. Spanish superiority, which is embedded in the previous six myths, explains the Conquest’s success. Restall provides multiple interconnected alternative explanations for the Conquest’s success, like the roles of epidemic disease, synthesizing and distilling previous historical research.

In analyzing and correcting these myths, Restall seeks to provide a fuller and more accurate picture of the Conquest, exploring such themes as The Importance of Historical Context and Processes, The Persistence of Historical Myths, and The Erasure of Indigenous Roles in Conquest History.