The Conquest of New Spain

Why it’s on the list: A foot soldier’s account of the conquest of Mexico, written decades later in old age partly to correct the court historians who gave Cortés all the credit. Primary-source history with a grudge, which is what makes it readable.

Where I heard about it

• A reply to @typesfast — named in answer to his question “What’s the best history book you’ve read?” in a thread on X, June 2025. The full set of replies lives on What’s the best history book… (tweet).

About this edition

Díaz’s manuscript was written around 1568 and first printed in 1632. The many modern translations differ too much in length to state one page count; the standard Penguin Classics edition is J. M. Cohen’s.

Connections

• Mexico — the conquest of Tenochtitlan, from inside the Spanish column.
• Conquistador — the modern narrative history of the same campaign, named in a different thread Kyle saved.
• History — a useful case in how a participant’s memory competes with an official record.
• What’s the best history book… (tweet) — the thread this recommendation came from.