American historian W.H. Prescott's classic account of one of the most extraordinary stories of conquest in mankind's history... In 1519, Hernando Cortes arrived in Mexico to investigate stories of a wealthy empire. What he encountered was beyond his wildest dreams - an advanced civilization with complex artistic, political and religious systems (involving extensive human sacrifice) and replete with gold. This was the Aztec empire, headed by the aloof emperor, Montezuma. With just a handful of men, Cortes achieved the impossible, crushing the Aztecs and their allies, and effectively annexing the territory for Spain.