Seven Myths

Restall’s Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest takes a very realistic account of what actually occurred in the Americas.  By breaking down the most common myths behind the conquest Restall endeavors to reveal how the “conquest” succeeded.  However, I can’t day the book was entirely interesting.  The format of the book seemed to take a laundry list of events and dates which seemed to overwhelm you while you read.  For my tastes I would have preferred more discussion on the part of the author that expanded the perspective into other areas of the myth creation.

The main themes that Restall touches on are important ones, however, they seem to be over thought in a way.  In studying humans in there many forms of culture one begins to realize how similar behavior is across the board.  Many of the chapters go on about how native populations were not victimized to the extent that is believed but were actively involved in aiding the conquistadors.  The idea of victimization developed later as a consequence to the Spanish repercussions.  Restall is right in emphasizing the role of disease.  I become increasingly more convinced the historical outcome of both North and South America would have been far different if the populations were resistant to disease.  Populations that did form a resistance found ways of adapting and creating a hybridized way of life that could have coexisted with the Europeans.

The book may have not been the ideal way of looking at the conquest, but it did have good insight.  In our current cultural climate despite several hundred years of distance these myths still persist.  The Spanish conquistadors may have been blind going into the Americas but their ability to imprint themselves onto history is impressive.  It’s not that discovering America was the more important events in our history it is how we have cocooned the idea of what actually happened and formed a total blindness to reality that is the important aspect of our culture.  It’s not that we remember that is important its important how we have remembered.  Maybe that is what is missing from Restall’s work.  He goes to great lengths to detail the truth of what occurred and how the myths were initially conceived, perhapse what he needed was to explain how these myths are currently impacting us presently despite historians efforts to correct our history.  Course that probably would have been a far different book then what Restall intended…………..