The memoir of a conquistador: Bernal Díaz del Castillo and the Black Legend

Abstract

The Black Legend is a rumour the Spanish conquistadors gained for supposedly being much more brutal when colonising compared to other colonial powers such as the English, the French, and the Dutch. The legend consists of anti-Spanish material, such as texts and images. These were created by writers and artists, usually from the said countries. However, these texts and images were inspired by accounts by the Spaniards themselves. There were several Spanish writers who wrote about the colonisation of the Americas, and described what happened during these expeditions. Some of these accounts were favourable towards the Spaniards, others were not. This dissertation discusses to what degree Bernal Díaz del Castillo contributed to the creation of the Black Legend. This is done through assessing the legend as a whole, and by discussing both the text of Díaz and two other Spanish writers: Bartolomé de Las Casas and Francisco López de Gómara. All of these wrote about the Conquest of Mexico. As a part of the discussion, there is also included examples of anti- Spanish material created by foreign authors and artists, who were inspired by the Spanish accounts.