"The Martyrs of Anahuac is a translation of Eligio Ancona's Los Martires del Anahuac (1873). In this historical novel, Ancona employs the writings of Hernan Cortes and others to present an encompassing view of the conquest of the Aztec Empire (1519-1521). It also narrates the events that led to the creation of the expeditionary force that landed on the Mexican mainland and chronicles Cortes's life until his death in 1547. The events, also chronicled by Cortes in his letters to the emperor, Charles V, are crucial to an understanding of the Mexican psyche. This book is of interest to both the reader of literature and the historian in the field of Latin American studies. "--Jacket.