History of the Conquest of Mexico (Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading)

by William H. Prescott, John Kirk (Editor), Mary Powlesland Commager (Introduction)

Overview

Mexicos rich culture has long fascinated scholars, with stories of ancient civilizations and great conquerors. History of the Conquest of Mexico (1843) expounds upon the virtues of Mexico while seeking to explain the tragedy of the countrys defeat in terms of its neighboring civilizations. The arrival of the Spaniards forever altered and in many ways curtailed indigenous cultural development in Mesoamerica; but, so too, began the history and culture, forever enriched by its dual heritage, of modern Mexico as we know it today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781411429581
Publisher:	Barnes & Noble
Publication date:	09/01/2009
Series:	Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	1040
Sales rank:	748,432
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	3 Months to 18 Years

About the Author

William H. Prescotts family enjoyed distinction long before his histories made the name Prescott known worldwide. His paternal grandfather, Colonel William Prescott, had fought at Bunker Hill. His father was a lawyer of note, a delegate to the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention in 1820, and later a judge. His mother was the daughter of Thomas Hickling, a merchant by trade, who for many years was the American consul in the Azores. Prescott most likely was influenced to study Spanish history by his friendships with fellow Harvard graduates Alexander Everett, who was then U.S. Minister to the Court of Spain, and George Ticknor - a lapsed lawyer, like Prescott - who was the first professor of modern languages at Harvard College, author of the masterly three volume History of Spanish Literature (1849), and the first biographer of his old friend William Prescott.