Historia general de las Indias is the account by Francisco López de Gómara of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. The first printing was in December 1552, in the workshop of Agustín Millán in Zaragoza, published under the title La istoria de las Indias The work was revised and published with different titles in subsequent years. The Spanish Crown forbade publication in 1556, but it was published in other languages up to 1605. For almost one hundred and fifty years it fell out of publication. Modern editions usually focus on the portion of the text relating to the conquest of Mexico.
Subsequent editions
In 1553 the work was republished by the same publisher, and under the same name as the original. Another edition of the work published in the same year was titled Hispania Victrix, primera y segunda parte de la Historia General de las Indias con todo el descubrimiento y cosas notables que han acaecido dende que se ganaron hasta el año de 1551. Con la conquista de México de la Nueva España, published in Medina del Campo, in the house of Guillermo de Millis. In this printing, the work has an introductory letter dedicated to the emperador de romanos y rey de España Carlos I de España, señor de las Indias y del Nuevo Mundo : In 1554 the author added dates, for which reason the release was titled "La historia General de las Indias y Nuevo Mundo, con más de la conquista del Perú y de México", published in Zaragoza in the house of Pedro Bernuz. In the second part, the author added a dedication to "muy ilustre señor don Martín Cortés, marqués del Valle" : |Francisco López de Gómara The book was a success and was translated into Italian, French, and English. It was published in Rome, Venice, Paris and London, with new editions outside of Spain published between 1556 until 1605. In Spain, the publication of the book was banned by royal decree in 1556, which also ordered confiscation of copies already published.
The Peruvian writer known as "Inca Garcilaso de la Vega" used the book as a source for his book, "Comentarios Reales de los Incas". A copy of Historia general de las Indias annotated by Garcilaso de la Vega remains extant. Francisco Cervantes de Salazar copied much of Gomara's book to make his "Crónica de la Nueva España". On the other side, Bernal Díaz del Castillo, who had been a soldier in the expeditions and conquests, heavily criticized the book in his "Historia verdadera de la conquista de la Nueva España", in particular because Gómara had never set foot in the Americas, and for the book's praising of Hernán Cortés, without giving credit to others involved. Nevertheless, he referenced the timeline of the work while composing his own account. Friar Bartolomé de las Casas detested the book for its glorification of Hernán Cortés. The Spanish Crown also disagreed with the excessive glorification of Cortés.
Banning
The publication of the book was banned by royal decree, a ban reaffirmed during the reign of Philip II of Spain and which was in effect for many years. There was never a formal explanation for the ban, but it could have been because of the excessive praise of Cortés, for the criticisms directed at the Catholic Monarchs, if not for the manner in which it referred to Francisco de los Cobos, secretary of Carlos V. The writer had the consolation that it was published in other languages. "The Prince. Correidors, assistant, governors, mayors and other magistrates and justices of any kind in all the cities, villages and lands of these realms and seigneuries, and to everyone and anyone to whom this my decree is shown, or its copy signed by public notary. Know that Francisco López de Gómara, clergyman, has written a book titled Historia de las Indias y Conquista de México, which has been printed; and because it is not advisable that said book be sold, nor read, nor have more copies printed, that rather those that are printed be collected, and brought to the Consejo Real de las Indias de su Majestad....."
Later publications
In 1568, the work was published in French, translated by Martin Fumée, as Histoire generalle des Indes, which was republished numerous times in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. This translation greatly influenced sixteenth-century French thinkers, among whom Michel de Montaigne, who drew on Fumée's edition numerous times in writing his essay "Des coches". In 1749 Gómara's work was republished, included in the second of a three volume collection by Andrés González de Barcia, entitled Historiadores primitivos de las Indias Occidentales, Vol II published in Madrid. This was the third edition in Spanish. In 1826 it was published under the title Historia de las conquistas de Hernando Cortés by the publisher Ontiveros in México. In 1852 and 1854 part of the book was published in Historia de la Conquista del Perú In 1943 it was published with the title Historia de las Indias y Conquista de México by the publisher Pedro Robredo, in two volumes. In 1954 it was reedited and titled Historia general de las Indias "Hispania victrix", cuya segunda parte corresponde a la Conquista de Méjico by the publisher Iberia. In 1988 it was published as Historia de la conquista de México, by the publisher Porrúa, in the collection "Sepan cuantos..".
