Mathew Restall’s Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest Essay

Mathew Rest in alls Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest is a well- pen book that serves an important purpose. That purpose being the debunking of mainly accepted falsehoods about the Spanish Conquest beginning in the 15th century. Restalls book is obscure into seven chapters that specifically address general myths most historians and students perceive as basal universal truths. Restall uses the line myth to describe the inaccurate/fictitious depiction of history commonly taken to be true, sidetrack or absolutely. These myths be the progenitors of unintentionally self-centered perceptions of events historically recorded in subjectivity. The Self-absorption, relating to the over exaggeration and bafflement of the Spanish Conquest, germinated over time. Excitements about the New World took Spain by storm and subsequently lead to a heterogeneity of mythical depictions.The chapters of the book discuss seven myths the myth of exceptional men, the kings army, the egg white conquis tador, completion, (mis) communication, native aloneness, and superiority. Too much credit is given to the men who were apart of the conquest. These men are attribute for innovating a unique skill set that allowed them to conquer the natives when in reality, they were merely utilizing strategies and techniques the Spaniards had been using for years in their conflicts in North Africa and other regions. Restall relied heavily on the writings of the conquistadors and natives to determine the truth behind all of the myth and folklore. A common myth is that the conquistadors were sent directly by the king of Spain to conquer the the Statess as soldiers but Restall proves this myth to be incorrect based off of the writings of the conquistadors themselves. These men had a soma of identities, occupations, and motivationsand were far much interesting than that.Another common misconception speaks of the exclusivity and efficiency as to which the conquest was achieved. The myth is that the conquistadors conquered the Americas relatively quickly in a sovereign effort but Restall explains that the Spaniards had a serve of help from the Natives and Africansand the completion of conquest was anything but as mass portions of the land remained unhurt by the conquest. Restall effortlessly explains how the conquistador myths of superior communication betwixt the Spaniards and Natives were just as fabricated as the new-fashioned misconception of inferior communication by historians.The communication between the two, or lack thereof, fell somewhere between both myths. Restall uses his epigrammatic writing style to explain the resilience of the Natives, debunking the myth of Native desolation and how the myth of superiority derives from Eurocentric beliefs of racial dominance which lead to anti-Semite(a) ideologies that underpinned colonial expansion from the new-fangled fifteenth to early twentieth centuries.Restalls work in this book administers a revitalizing panelin g of truth to historic and modern misconceptions of the Spanish Conquest. The book is not very long but it is written in an entertaining prose that fluidly transitions between concepts. The arguments are solid and detailed making it almost too halcyon to follow. Restalls research seemingly taunts historic perspective and makes you question how you could project ever believed the contrary. His clear and concise depiction of events paint an obvious picture of subjectivity on the part of the conquistadors and embellishment on the part of historians.The book challenges all major explanations of the Spanish Conquest and blames them on Eurocentric ideologies that boast racial superiority. It was this racist misconception that lead to an embellishment of circumstances over time. Historians rewrote history in a way that made them savor far more superior then that of the Natives but Restall lays those misconceptions to rest. The book focuses on the big ideas that are and have been gener ally accepted as common companionship, which is a much larger task than tackling ambiguous points that could be argued either way. Although this book isnt very long, it is a very ambitious and bold correction of eloquent arguments that have stood the test of time.Restalls critique and correction of the Spanish Conquest should be read on all levels of education. High school students should read this book as they begin to establish a basic level of understanding of these historical events. College students can use this text to challenge their established beliefs and grow their knowledge of the subject progeny by gaining a new and exciting perspective. Teachers and professors can gain to learn more about the subject so that they may foster engaging debates and discussion in class on the course material. While this book challenges the accuracy or lack-thereof, of a specific historical event, it subsequently forces us as student, teachers and historians to view all events in history w ith a healthy sense of skepticism.Restalls attempt to debunk common misconceptions or myths was very successful. Overall, his arguments were crisp, concise and convincing. The writing style of Restell made for an especially informal read that was as entertaining as it was informational. The ease at which he navigates through the subject matter makes you question your understanding of all major historical events. Not only should students on all levels who are interested in the subject be required to read this text but their teachers and professors as well. Its important that teachers and professors make themselves familiar with the historical inaccuracies of this subject so that they wont make the similar mistakes and continue to proliferate the mis-education of the Spanish Conquest.