Xicotencatl: An Anonymous Historical Novel about the Events Leading Up to the Conquest of the Aztec Empire

As Spain's New World colonies fought for their independence in the early nineteenth century, an anonymous author looked back on the earlier struggle of native Americans against the Spanish conquistadores and penned this novel, Xicoténcatl. Writing from a decidedly anti-Spanish perspective, the author describes the historical events that led to the march on Tenochtitlán and eventual conquest of the Aztec empire in 1519 by Hernán Cortés and his Indian allies, the Tlaxcalans. Xicoténcatl stands out as a beautiful exposition of an idealized New World about to undergo the tremendous changes wrought by the Spanish Conquest. It was published in Philadelphia in 1826. In his introduction to this first English translation, Guillermo I. Castillo-Feliú discusses why the novel was published outside Latin America, its probable author, and his attitudes toward his Spanish and Indian characters, his debt to Spanish literature and culture, and the parallels that he draws between past and present struggles against Spanish domination in the Americas.

Author: Guillermo Castillo-Feliú
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Published: 04/01/1999
Pages: 166
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.56lbs
Size: 9.07h x 5.99w x 0.42d
ISBN: 9780292712140

Review Citation(s):
Univ PR Books for Public Libry 01/01/2000 pg. 89 - Recommended/Special Interest

About the Author
Guillermo I. Castillo-Feliú is Professor of Spanish and Chair of the Department of Modern Languages at Winthrop University in South Carolina.