The First Letter from New Spain

From the moment that I opened The First Letter from New Spain to its conclusion, I found myself ridiculously excited about the material. At many points I questioned my own objectivity in reviewing a book whose topic created a childlike glee. In the end John F. Schwaller and Helen Nader did not disappoint. In ways the book unfolds like a conquest story of its own. The authors start with a sense of discovery, the type that every historian hopes to uncover, by discussing Schwaller's landing at the Archivo General de Indias in Seville, Spain, and his discovery of an unknown document. In the introduction Schwaller places the work squarely within the “New Conquest History” yet clearly points to how the book bridges the divide between this new scholarship and earlier historiography of the conquistadores, such as James Lockhart's The Men of Cajamarca (1972) and Hugh Thomas's Who's Who of the Conquistadors (2000). As the reader continues the journey through the book, the sense of excitement about the “First Letter” grows. In their synopsis, Schwaller and Nader carefully place details that they have gleaned from the letter into the familiar conquest narrative, making it fresh once again. As the excitement builds, Schwaller takes readers on an important side excursion into the historiography of the conquest, starting with sources produced by the conquistadores, and tightens the known chronology of when early events occurred.The apex of the exploration of the text starts with description. While the document's pages are all extant, time has erased many of the signatures; still, it provides many avenues of inquiry that scholars have been missing. A facsimile, transcription, and translation, often relegated to an appendix, are here placed in the middle as a core feature of the book enabling Nader and Schwaller to engage further with the history of the conquest. Aside from furthering enjoyment of the material, this decision makes the book even more useful as a tool for teaching undergraduates, as students will see the skills required to read historical sources. Furthermore, the authors show the reader how to get the most out of a source by using the signatures found on the document to extend the content of the book.Schwaller starts the examination of the source on a macro level, demonstrating what a systematic review of the material can tell us about the conquistadores of Mexico in comparison with the conquistadores of other regions such as Peru or Colombia. Readers learn about the conquistadores' trades and social position. Schwaller shows how specific trades occupied a lower rank in the social hierarchy but were essential to the conquest. While not all the conquistadores received an encomienda, many were still afforded the opportunity to advance, regardless of their rank in society, if they survived the conquest. Further, Schwaller uses the signatures from the Segura de la Frontera letter (signatures included as an appendix) to attempt to discover which of the conquistadores survived the Noche Triste. After the macro study, he follows Lockhart's example from The Men of Cajamarca and produces biographies, where possible, of each of the signatories. To do so, Schwaller depends a lot on the sources that he discussed earlier in the historiography, bringing the book full circle in many ways.While the monograph traverses the conquest, it always returns to its roots: a study of the foundation of Veracruz and the men who participated in that event. Schwaller admits that the book and the document upon which it focuses further exceptionalize the Spaniards' efforts in the conquest of New Spain and this moment in particular. He acknowledges that Spanish women, slaves, and indigenous auxiliaries were a part of the events, but this source does not acknowledge their role, and so their part in the foundation of Veracruz is still unknown. While the discovery of this source highlights one moment among many, Schwaller does a good job in his effort to place the founding of the town within the context of the events surrounding it. Further, by organizing the book in the way that they do and focusing on all known signatories, Schwaller and Nader lessen the exceptionalism of the top conquistadores and demonstrate the very real plight and dangers that awaited the conquistadores at the bottom ranks of the group. At the end of the monograph, and this review, I find myself just as excited about it as when I started. I believe that the book will appeal to scholars, students, and the general public alike

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