1.
125 IN
Continued from front flap
with a focus on the physical world of places and
things, their similarities and differences in trans-
Atlantic perspective, and their interweaving in
an encounter characterized by conquest and
colonialism, but also resilience on the part of
Native peoples. An engrossing and sweeping
account, Collision of Worlds debunks long-held
myths and contextualizes the deep roots and
enduring consequences of the Aztec-Spanish
conflict as never before.
DAV I D M . CA R B A LL O
is Associate Professor of Archaeology, Anthro-
pology, and Latin American Studies at Boston
University. His previous books include
Urbanization and Religion in Ancient Central
America.
Author photo courtesy of Boston University.
“This book is a monumental work of long range historical and archaeological comparison of
CA R BA LLO
M
ethnicities, myths, cities, markets, world views, and human actions. No other history of the exico of five centuries ago was
war for the Aztec capital reveals the cultural depth or historical breadth of what was truly at
witness to one of the most mo-
stake when the Aztec ruler Cuauhtemoc yielded to Cortés at the pyramids of Tlatelolco in
mentous encounters between
August of 1521.”
— DAV Í D C A R R A SCO, author of The Aztecs: A Very Short Introduction human societies, when a group of Spaniards
led by Hernando Cortés joined forces with
“David Carballo weaves a fascinating historical tapestry. Collision of Worlds is authoritative, tens of thousands of Mesoamerican allies to
COLLISION OF WORLDS
evenhanded, and draws on a broad array of sources. This outstanding account helps us topple the mighty Aztec Empire. It served as a
understand the roots of today’s globalized world.” template for the forging of much of Latin
— B R I A N FAG A N , author of The Little Ice Age America and initiated the globalized world we
inhabit today. The violent clash that culminated
“Collision of Worlds takes a new look at the world-changing events of 1519–1521 and the Spanish
in the Aztec-Spanish war of 1519–21 and the
invasion of Mexico. Archaeologist David Carballo opens by examining two landscapes—
Medillín, Spain, home of Hernando Cortés, and Cholula, Mexico, dominated by its Great new colonial order it created were millennia
Pyramid—to illustrate the entanglements of deep history and place that shaped New Spain and in the making, entwining the previously
the foundations of the global world.” independent cultural developments of both
— D E B O R A H N I C H O L S, coeditor of The Oxford Handbook of the Aztecs sides of the Atlantic.
Collision of Worlds provides a deep history
“Collision of Worlds is a unique and resonant achievement, an old story told in a new way. By of this encounter, one that considers temporal
adopting an archaeologist’s perspective, David Carballo is able to offer a fresh and thought-
depth in the richly layered cultures of Mexico
provoking take on the history of the Spanish-Aztec encounter. And by reaching back into the
and Spain, from their prehistories to the urban
deep Mesoamerican and Iberian pasts, he helps us to better understand that encounter, its
outcomes, and its significance.” and imperial societies they built in the four-
— M AT T H E W R E S TA L L , author of When Montezuma Met Cortés teenth and fifteenth centuries. Leading Meso-
american archaeologist David Carballo offers
“In this remarkable work of comparative history and archaeology, David Carballo situates the a unique perspective on these fabled events
Spanish‐Mexica wars of the 16th century within a parallel account of Iberia and Mesoamerica,
Continued on back flap
stretching back into humanity’s deep past.”
— DAV I D W E N G R OW, author of What Makes Civilization?
ISBN 978-0-19-086435-4
90000
COVER DESIGN: James R. Perales // COVER IMAGE: ©Fundación Desiderio
Hernández Xochitiotzin. Portion of mural titled “La Conquista”/ MURALES “Tlaxcala 9 780190 864354
su aportación a México y al mundo.” Artist: Desiderio Hernández Xochitiotzin. U.S. $34.95
Photo: Pedro Cahuantzi Hernández.