The Conquest of Mexico

William Hickling Prescott (May 4, 1796 - January 28, 1859) was an eminent American historian, renowned for his comprehensive works on Spanish and Spanish-American colonial history. Despite enduring significant visual impairment from an early age, Prescott's tenacious pursuit of scholarship enabled him to produce meticulously researched historical narratives. His prose is recognized not only for its scholarly rigor but also for its eloquence and vivid storytelling, capturing the complexity of historical events and figures with a literary flair uncommon in historical writing. Prescott's most acclaimed work, 'The Conquest of Mexico' (1843), delves into the demise of the Aztec Empire at the hands of Hernán Cortés and his troops, providing an account that intertwines military conquest with ethnographic observation and political analysis. The breadth of his research, often relying on primary sources, and his narrative skill placed him at the forefront of historiography in his era and helped shape the field of history as a literary art form as well as an academic pursuit. His other significant works include 'The History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic' (1837) and 'The History of the Conquest of Peru' (1847), both of which further cemented his reputation as a leading historian of his time, and paved the way for future scholarly inquiry into the Spanish Empire and its legacy.