In the Shadow of Cortés
392 pages, 7 x 10
88 halftones, 21 color plates (spread over two 8-p
Paperback
Release Date:15 Oct 2015
ISBN:9780816521036
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In the Shadow of Cortés

Conversations Along the Route of Conquest

The University of Arizona Press
Five hundred years ago, the army of conquest led by Hernan Cortés marched hundreds of miles across a rugged swath of land from Veracruz on the Mexican Caribbean to the capital city of the Aztecs, now Mexico City. This journey was the catalyst for profound cultural and political change in Mesoamerica. Today, many Mexicans view the Ruta de Cortés as a symbol of an event that forever changed the course of their history. But few U.S. Americans understand how the conquest still affects Mexicans’ national identity and their relationship with the United States.

Following the route of Hernán Cortés, In the Shadow of Cortés offers a visual and cultural history of the legacy of contact between Spaniards and indigenous civilizations. The book is a reflective journey that presents a diversity of voices, images, and ideas about history and conquest. Specialist in Mexican culture Kathleen Ann Myers teams up with prize-winning translators and photographers to offer a unique reading experience that combines accessible interpretative essays with beautifully translated interviews and dozens of historical and contemporary black-and-white and color images, including some by award-winner Steven Raymer. The result offers readers multiple perspectives on these pivotal events as imagined and re-envisioned today by Mexicans both in their homeland and in the United States.

In the Shadow of Cortés offers an extensive visual narrative about conquest and, ultimately, about Mexican history. It traces the symbolic geography of the conquest and shows how the historical memory of colonialism continues to shape lives today.
Kathleen Ann Myers is a professor of Spanish and Portuguese at Indiana University. She is the author of five books, including Fernández de Oviedo’s Chronicle of America: A New History for a New World.
Preface
Chronology of Events
Translators’ Note.
Introduction

Part I. First Landings: Veracru
Three Veracruces: Staging Conquest and Colonization
Villa Rica and Antigua de la Veracruz
Xalapa: State Capital
Nahua Perspectives from Comunidades in the Sierra Zongolica
Interview Selections, Part I
Part II. The March Inland: Tlaxcala, Cholula, and Puebla
Crossroads: San Francisco de Ixtacamaxtitlan
Tlaxcala: Allies, Foes, and Identity Politics
The Sacred City of Cholula: Destruction and Survival
Conquests and Continuities: The Valley of Puebla
The Spanish City: Puebla de Los Angeles
Interview Selections, Part II
Part III. The Center: Mexico City-Tenochtitlan
Las Colonias and El Estado de México
Back to the Center: The Historic District
The Retreat Toward Cuernavaca
Interview Selections, Part III
Part IV. El Otro Lado: Mexicans in the United States
Mexico and the United States of America
Interview Selections, Part IV

Conclusion
Appendix A. Glossary of Cultural Terms
Appendix B. Suggested Further Readings
Notes
Works Cited
Index
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