Origins & Early Life

Bernal Díaz del Castillo (c. 1492 – 1/2/3 January 1584) was a Spanish conquistador who participated as a soldier in the conquest of the Aztec Empire under Hernán Cortés and late in his life wrote an account of the events. As an experienced soldier of fortune, he had already participated in expeditions to Tierra Firme, Cuba, and to Yucatán before joining Cortés. In his later years, Castillo was an encomendero and governor in Guatemala where he wrote his memoirs called The True History of the Conquest of New Spain.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He began his account of the conquest almost thirty years after the events and later revised and expanded it in response to Cortés' letters to the king, which Castillo viewed as Cortés taking most of the credit for himself, while minimizing the efforts and sacrifices of the other Spaniards and their Indigenous allies such as the Tlaxcaltecs during the expedition. Castillo disputed the biography published by Cortés' chaplain Francisco López de Gómara, which he considered to be largely inaccurate, in that it also excessively glorified Cortés at the expense of the other soldiers. Castillo also took issue with the historical account published by the monk Bernardino de Sahagún, which...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

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