Andrew S.

Terrell - HIST 6393: Atlantic America to 1750 1 September 2010

Précis: Restall, Matthew. Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.

Dr. Restall is the director of Latin American Studies at Penn State University and a scholar of
Colonial Latin America. In his 2003 monograph, Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest, he approached
several myths and misconceptions of the two century Spanish Conquest. Restall was careful to define
“myth” as something fictitious and unfortunately thought to be true in part or in absolution and further
used a term coined by anthropologist Dennis Tedlock, “mythistory,” that is blended mythic and historical
stories, throughout his monograph. From there he successfully argued that popular myths of the Spanish
Conquest were products of then contemporary societal norms and minds’ eyes of the period.
In successive chapters, Restall approaches and corrects myths of “great men” such as Columbus,
Cortés and Pizzaro showing that their technology and expertise were results and products of an already
modern society and expert navigation techniques. He then asserts that conquistadors were not soldiers,
but rather men of fortune volunteering themselves in hopes of bringing home a part of the treasures
presumed to be in abundance in the New World. The following chapters dealt with the speed and success
of the Spanish colonial establishment. To Restall perpetuating vague timelines overlooked the roles
Native Americans and Africans played; in reality, the Spaniards relied heavily on armies of the natives
because even with technological superiority, they were still outnumbered by hundreds of thousands.
Another common myth debunked by Restall was that of the language barrier. He showed that Spanish
writers fabricated stories of their innate ability to communicate with the native populations, and in
modern times, historians contended that there was absolutely no ability to communicate. Restall,
however, believed a compromise between the two theories more accurate. That is to say that certain
signals were relatively intelligible, and the Spanish were known to capture Natives and train them in
Spanish at schools before returning with legitimate translators. Restall then discussed what he called
“native desolation,” the concept that Natives believed the Spaniards were gods which seemed more of an
amplified quip to the author. Finally, Restall wrestled with the idea of racial superiority of the Spanish
over the Native Americans. In his research, Restall found proof that the idea of European superiority was
a hard sale even in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
Restall concludes with his macro approach to the Spanish Conquest. He contends that diseases
from the Old World are irrefutable explanations to the Spanish successes. Furthermore, he creates an
image of the Native American empires as being very spread out and lacking a collective leader on a
similar scale with the Spanish. While he debunked the concept of European exceptionalism earlier, he
seems to name technological advancements including domesticated animals and gun powder as keys to
operational success for the Spanish. In the end, Restall concludes saying that no matter the interpretations
and debates over the Spanish Conquest of America, the struggle was not one-sided.
While Dr. Restall’s monograph is a refreshing read, one has a few issues with certain aspects of
the finished product. The second chapter’s theme of the conquistadors not being soldiers. Amid the many
wars the Spanish were involved in during the years prior to the Conquest of America, how realistic is it
that the accomplices to the major leaders were not trained or experienced in battle? Conscription was
common place, and death and battles were realities of the human experience. Furthermore, the “myth of
exceptional men” to this reader is not wholly a myth, but rather a misinterpretation. While it seems
pretentious to say the major successes of the Spanish Conquest were because of the key figures, it also
seems ignominious to toss aside what one believes is a reality: that there are key figures and leaders in
history that do great things.