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The 16th century was the age of conquest in which European nations expanded their power around the globe. Spain led the way in Mexico where Hernando Cortez molded the template for triumph with his bloody campaign against the Aztec Empire. By the time the conquistador arrived, the Aztecs, led by Montezuma II, had subjugated most of Mexico and established an elaborate civilization which included many human sacrifices to their sun god. After one of the great sieges of history against the capital city of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City), Cortez with only several hundred Spanish soldiers and several thousand Indian allies destroyed the Aztec Empire and shipped the loot back to Spain.
The hero of the story is a shipwrecked Englishman named Roger Hawkshaw who combines a keen sense of adventure with intrepid perseverance in potentially fatal circumstances. He also possesses a fine facility with foreign languages which enables him to survive in the jungle among savage tribes and join up with Cortez in the overthrow of the Aztecs. In the end he escapes with plenty of treasure and marries an Indian princess. Henty pulls no punches in describing the barbarism of the Aztecs and the Spaniards.
Date: 1595
Location: South America, Mexico
Main Event: Spanish Conquest of Mexico
