The Spanish conquest of Mexico was a remarkable military expedition that had a huge impact on the history of the world. Hernán Cortés led the expedition, the aim of which was the addition of Mexico to the Spanish Empire, and the extraction of Aztec riches. Following the appearance of portents, the Aztecs were expecting a catastrophe in 1519, and the Spanish invasion fulfilled this expectation. Although they fought fiercely to the end, the Aztec civilisation was doomed, and the face of Mexico would be changed for ever. This book examines the campaign, but also the lives, training and experience of the men on both sides: the Spanish conquerors and their opponents, the exotic Aztecs, who were fighting for their lives and their civilisation. Contains material peviously published in Essential Histories 60, Warrior 32 and Warrior 40.

Dr. John Pohl is the Peter Jay Sharp Curator in the Ancient Art of the Americas at the Princeton University Art Museum and Lecturer in the Department of Art and Archaeology. He has directed numerous archaeological excavations and surveys in Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Central America as well as Europe. He is a specialist in the study of the ancient art and writing systems of the Aztec, Mixtec, and Zapotec civilizations of highland Mexico.

Charles M Robinson III, a native of Texas, is a history instructor at South Texas Community College and the author of twelve books, primarily on the American West. His most recent book, General Crook and the American Frontier, was released by the University of Oklahoma Press in October 2002. His book, Bad Hand: A Biography of General Ranald S Mackenzie, won the Texas State Historical Commission's prestigious T. R. Fehrenback Award, and was honored by a resolution from the Texas House of Representatives. He is a member of the Texas State Historical Association, the Western History Association, and the Western Writers of America. He is also an honorary member of the Chief Santanta Descendants, a Kiowa Indian heritage organization, in Oklahoma. He lives in San Benito, Texas.