Letters from Mexico

"[A] welcome re-issue of Anthony Pagden’s fine translation of Cortés’ Cartas De Relacion. . . . This edition is a model of how to present a sometimes difficult text to an English-speaking readership."—B.W. Ife, Times Higher Education Supplement


"[The] definitive translation. . . . It adds up to one of the most fascinating Machiavellian documents to come out of the Renaissance."—Carlos Fuentes, The Guardian


"[Pagden] provides us with two important innovations: the first reliable edition of the most important Spanish text . . . and annotations that draw on Pagden’s own profound knowledge of Mesoamerican cultures. . . . Impressive . . . [The text and notes] capture the sweep and detail of two peoples looking on each other with amazement. . . . Rarely have the complexities of these early European and American interactions been made so accessible to readers in English."—Helen Nader, The Sixteenth Century Journal



"[Pagden’s] carefully translated and highly readable text of the letters is further distinguished by extensive explanatory notes and a bibliography of cited sources. . . . An essential book for the library of any serious Mexicanist."—Stephen A. Colston, American Indian Quarterly