William H. Prescott 
History of the Conquest of Mexico (Barnes & Noble Digital Library) 

This edition includes a modern introduction and a list of suggested further reading.


 


Mexico’s 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 country’s 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.

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William H. Prescott’s 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.