Conquistador

Why it’s on the list: Levy’s narrative of Cortés and Montezuma — a few hundred Spaniards, a set of local alliances, and the fall of Tenochtitlan. Kyle’s note identifies it only as “about Hernan Cortes”, and Levy’s is the popular narrative account that fits.

Where I saw it: In the reply thread to @moseskagan’s question, “What historical fiction should I read next? (Bonus points for something involving building or trade, rather than violence)” (April 13, 2025) — a crowd-sourced list Kyle recovered by hand and saved to his Apple Note “Books To Read”; the full set of replies lives on What historical fiction should I… (tweet). It was listed there as “Conquistador (about Hernan Cortes)”.

Connections

• Mexico — the conquest of Tenochtitlan.
• The Conquest of New Spain — the participant’s account of the same events, named in a different thread Kyle saved.
• What historical fiction should I… (tweet) — the thread this recommendation came from.