In recognition of the quincentenary of the Spanish invasion of the Aztec Empire, Matthew Restall draws from his recent book, When Montezuma Met Cortés: The True Story of the Meeting that Changed History, to propose that it is time to upend the traditional tale of the so-called Conquest. Placing familiar characters such as Cortés, Montezuma, and Malinche in dramatically different contexts, Restall offers new theories and perspectives on the Spanish-Aztec encounter, arguing that there are pressing and disturbing reasons why this anniversary matters.
Matthew Restall is Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Colonial Latin American History and director of Latin American studies at Penn State University, and the Greenleaf Distinguished Chair in Latin American Studies at Tulane University. A past NEH, JCB, IAH, LOC, and Guggenheim fellow, and a recent president of the American Society for Ethnohistory, he is editor of several journals and book series. Restall has published over twenty books, including the acclaimed The Maya World; Maya Conquistador; Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest; The Black Middle; 2012 and the End of the World; The Conquistadors; and When Montezuma Met Cortés.
We are delighted that Patricia McAnany, Kenan Eminent Professor in Anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and chair of the Dumbarton Oaks Senior Fellows, will join our discussion following the lecture.