Bernal Diaz sailed to the new world with Cortes, where in less than two years they managed to defeat the Aztec empire. 40 years later Diaz tells the story of the great expedition, exploring the challenges faced and tactics employed by Cortes, the clashing of cultures, and the exploitation of the natives. La Historia verdadera de la conquista de la Nueva Espana is, if not entirely reliable, still an important work of literature. It chronicles, as Todorov says, the most amazing event in our history. In the ‘discovery’ of other continents and other men there is a real feeling of radical strangeness. This edition is based on the Guatemalan manuscript.