Bernal Diaz’s Account of the Conquest of New Spain

The Key Question that the Author Addresses

The crucial question that the author addresses is giving his statement of account of the conquest of New Spain and offering a tribute to Hernán Cortés and the unknown soldiers who took part in the campaign at New Spain.

The Most Important Information in the Text

The essential information in the text is the sequence of events that happened before, during and after the conquest to New Spain. Bernal Díaz ensured that he explained how Hernán Cortés was selected to lead the conquest. The author also clearly articulated the Hernán Cortés’ character as an individual and also as a leader. Bernal Díaz also outlined the vital role that Hernán Cortés and his men played in conquering New Spain and also spreading Christianity. The men leading the campaign in New Spain encountered numerous challenges in their quest to establish their authority, but it seems that their victory against the Indians at the Cape of the Palms was their major turning point. It was after this victory that they started establishing fruitful ties with the Indians, married some of them and effectively spread Christianity.

The Main Conclusions (Implicit or Explicit) in this Article

The main conclusions in this article are that new lands that the Spaniards led by Hernán Cortés had gone to conquer significantly resembled their native land and that is why they named it New Spain. This conclusion follows a valid line of reasoning since the physical features in the new territory were similar to the ones they had in Spain. The article also concluded that since the soldiers would easily conquer the new area and bring it under the Spaniard rule. This conclusion did not follow a valid line of reasoning since even though the Spanish soldiers had modern weapons, they were outnumbered by the indigenous inhabitants who would outrightly resist any attempts to conquer them. The article also concluded that Christianity was a much better religion than the traditional religion of the Indians.

The Main Assumptions Underlying the Author’s Thinking

The main assumptions underlying the author’s thinking are that the Indian religion was evil since they worshipped idols yet Christianity was more superior since they worshipped the true living God. The author assumed that having more sophisticated weapons would assist them to quickly conquer the new territory oblivious of the fact that the inhabitants outnumbered them.

The Main Point of View Presented in the Text

The main point of view presented in the text is that some of the early historians who purported to outline the series of events surrounding the history of the conquest of New Spain got it all wrong. Therefore it was imperative for the author to give an accurate and detailed account of the things that happened during the conquest so that people know the truth.

2) Argument

Bernal Díaz fails to consider the number of inhabitants that they were likely to encounter in their conquest and therefore understates their level of resistance. The Spanish soldiers were under the illusion that they would easily defeat the Indian warriors due to their sophisticated weapons but were stunned when they put up a spirited fight against their invasion.