Using excerpts primarily drawn from Bernal Diaz's 1632 account of the Spanish victory and from testimonies - many recently uncovered - of indigenous Nahua survivors gathered by Bernardino de Sahagun, Victors and Vanquished clearly demonstrates how personal interests, class and ethnic biases, and political considerations can influence interpretation of events. A substantial introduction is followed by 9 chronological sections that illuminate the major events and personalities in this powerful historical episode and reveal the changing attitudes toward European expansionism.

Stuart B. Schwartz is George Burton Adams Professor of History at Yale University.