History of the Conquest of Mexico (Vol. 1-4) (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Aztec Civilization, Cortés, Montezuma, and the Siege of Tenochtitlan in Spain's New World ConquestBy William Hickling Prescott
Length52h 1m
About this audiobook
William Hickling Prescott's History of the Conquest of Mexico (Vols. 1–4) offers a sweeping nineteenth-century account of the fall of the Aztec Empire and the rise of Spanish dominion under Hernán Cortés. Combining archival research, dramatic narration, and moral reflection, Prescott writes in the grand historiographical style of his age, balancing epic storytelling with documentary ambition. The work situates conquest within questions of empire, religion, diplomacy, and cultural encounter, while vividly portraying Tenochtitlan, Moctezuma's court, and the fraught alliances that reshaped Mesoamerica. Prescott, one of America's foremost early historians, composed the book despite severe visual impairment, relying on assistants, memorization, and extraordinary discipline. His patrician New England background, classical education, and access to Spanish sources shaped both his admiration for historical grandeur and the limitations of his perspective. His interest in Spain's imperial past had already informed his studies of Ferdinand and Isabella, and here it reaches one of its most influential expressions. This work is recommended to readers of history, literature, and colonial studies who wish to understand both the conquest itself and the nineteenth-century imagination that interpreted it. Read critically, it remains a powerful, elegant, and foundational historical narrative.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- An Author Biography reveals milestones in the author's life, illuminating the personal insights behind the text.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
GenreHistory
Length52 hrs 1 min
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateMay 17, 2020
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1History of the Conquest of Mexico (Vol. 1-4) (Annotated)
2Introduction
3Synopsis
4Historical Context
5Author Biography
Show all chaptersShow less
6Volume 1
7BOOK I (pt. 1)
8BOOK I (pt. 2)
9BOOK I (pt. 3)
10BOOK II DISCOVERY OF MEXICO (pt. 1)
11BOOK II DISCOVERY OF MEXICO (pt. 2)
12BOOK II DISCOVERY OF MEXICO (pt. 3)
13BOOK II DISCOVERY OF MEXICO (pt. 4)
14Volume 2
15BOOK II DISCOVERY OF MEXICO (CONTINUED)
16BOOK III MARCH TO MEXICO (pt. 1)
17BOOK III MARCH TO MEXICO (pt. 2)
18BOOK IV RESIDENCE IN MEXICO (pt. 1)
19BOOK IV RESIDENCE IN MEXICO (pt. 2)
20BOOK IV RESIDENCE IN MEXICO (pt. 3)
21Volume 3
22BOOK IV RESIDENCE IN MEXICO (CONTINUED) (pt. 1)
23BOOK IV RESIDENCE IN MEXICO (CONTINUED) (pt. 2)
24BOOK V EXPULSION FROM MEXICO (pt. 1)
25BOOK V EXPULSION FROM MEXICO (pt. 2)
26BOOK VI SIEGE AND SURRENDER OF MEXICO (pt. 1)
27BOOK VI SIEGE AND SURRENDER OF MEXICO (pt. 2)
28BOOK VI SIEGE AND SURRENDER OF MEXICO (pt. 3)
29Volume 4
30BOOK VI SIEGE AND SURRENDER OF MEXICO (CONTINUED) (pt. 1)
31BOOK VI SIEGE AND SURRENDER OF MEXICO (CONTINUED) (pt. 2)
32BOOK VII (CONCLUSION) SUBSEQUENT CAREER OF CORTÉS (pt. 1)
33BOOK VII (CONCLUSION) SUBSEQUENT CAREER OF CORTÉS (pt. 2)
34APPENDIX ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS (pt. 1)
35APPENDIX ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS (pt. 2)
36Analysis
37Reflection
38Memorable Quotes
More from William Hickling Prescott
History of the Conquest of PeruWilliam Hickling Prescott28h 35m$1 · $0.00
History of the Conquest of Mexico (Vol. 1-4)William Hickling Prescott47h 48m$1 · $0.00
History of the Reign of Philip the Second, King of Spain, Vols. 1 and 2William Hickling Prescott30h 1m$1 · $0.00
History of the Conquest of PeruWilliam Hickling Prescott28h 41m$2 · $0.00
The History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic (Vol. 1-3) (Annotated)William Hickling Prescott41h 14m$2 · $0.00
History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the CatholicWilliam Hickling Prescott41h 4m$2 · $0.00
The Two Swords of ChristRaymond Ibrahim15h 55m$30
Black AF HistoryMichael Harriot15h 43m5.0 (1)$33 · $0.00
The Gulag Archipelago Volume 3Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn21h 56m$46 · $0.00
The Redeemer’s ReturnArthur W. Pink13h 18m$20
The Happiest Man on EarthEddie Jaku3h 48m$7 · $0.00
MotherlandJulia Ioffe17h 52m$40 · $0.00
Where Cowards Go to DieBenjamin Sledge8h 42m$20 · $0.00
Frederick Douglass: All 3 Memoirs in One VolumeFrederick Douglass44h 9m$2 · $0.00
The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America (Annotated)Howard Irving Chapelle, Tappan Adney13h 10m$2 · $0.00
I've Been to the MountaintopMartin Luther King48m5.0 (1)$11 · $0.00
RevolutionariesSanjeev Sanyal11h 23m$29 · $0.00
We Crossed a Bridge and It TrembledWendy Pearlman6h$24 · $0.00
Unbroken Bonds of BattleJohnny Joey Jones8h 31m$8 · $0.00
The Daughter of AuschwitzTova Friedman, Malcolm Brabant7h 54m$26 · $0.00
Lily's PromiseLily Ebert, Dov Forman8h 54m$29 · $0.00
Saving My EnemyBob Welch9h 11m$20
On Democracies and Death CultsDouglas Murray10h 38m$29 · $0.00
Across the RiverKent Babb11h 40m$29 · $0.00
Balcony Over Jerusalem: A Middle East Memoir - Israel, Palestine and BeyondJohn Lyons12h 37m$33 · $0.00
The Fire Next TimeJames Baldwin2h 25m$15
You may also like
NorwaySigvart Sörensen10h 37m$1 · $0.00
World History: Cultures, States, and Societies to 1500Eugene Berger, George Israel, Charlotte Miller, Brian Parkinson, Andrew Reeves, Nadejda Williams21h 22m$3 · $0.00
The Histories (Annotated)Herodotus33h 18m$2 · $0.00
History of the Conquest of Mexico (Vol. 1-4)William Hickling Prescott47h 48m$1 · $0.00
The Boys' and Girls' HerodotusHerodotus10h 54m$2 · $0.00
The Great Civilizations of the Ancient East (Annotated)George Rawlinson145h 31m$2 · $0.00
PERSIA (Illustrated)George Rawlinson13h 51m$2 · $0.00
The History of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway (The Complete Two-Volume Edition)S. A. Dunham24h 54m$2 · $0.00
The American Encyclopedia of History, Biography and TravelThomas H. Prescott60h 34m$2 · $0.00
History of the United States: A 30-Volume AnthologyJames Ford Rhodes, D. H. Montgomery, Julius E. Olson, Edward Everett Hale, Elizabeth Hodges, Carl Lotus Becker, Azel Ames, William Bradford, Bureau of Military and Civic Achievement, Herbert Eugene Bolton, Thomas Maitland Marshall, Madison Grant, James Truslow Adams, John Fiske, Robert W. Coakley, Stetson Conn, U.S. Army Center of Military History, L. Carroll Judson, John Jay, Helen Campbell, Emory Speer, U.S. Government, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Samuel Bryan, Patrick Henry, Joel Tyler Headley, Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Schoolcraft, Norman B. Wood, Frederic L. Paxson, George Cary Eggleston, Wilbur Fisk Gordy, Adam Gurowski, Felix Gregory De Fontaine, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Matilda Gage, Harriot Stanton Blatch, Ida H. Harper, Richard W. Stewart814h 51m$2
By Right of ConquestGeorge Alfred Henty13h 17m$27
The Invasion of India by Alexander the GreatJohn Watson McCrindle18h 44m$1 · $0.00
The Ancient History of the Near EastHenry Hall28h 36m$1 · $0.00
The Greatest Empires & Civilizations of the Ancient EastGeorge Rawlinson145h 7m$2 · $0.00
Ancient Egypt: History, Archaeology & Ancient SourcesArthur Gilman, George Rawlinson, E. A. Wallis Budge, Gaston Maspero, Agnes Sophia Griffith Johns36h 19m$1 · $0.00
The Book of Ancient GreeksDorothy Mills11h 13m$2.30
History of the Jews (Vol. 1-6) (Annotated)Heinrich Graetz118h 8m$2 · $0.00
The History of Antiquity (Vol. 1-6) (Annotated)Max Duncker92h 42m$2 · $0.00
Mexico, Aztec, Spanish and RepublicanBrantz Mayer36h 7m$2 · $0.00
The Histories Vol 1Herodotus17h$2.30