The Spanish Conquest of the Americas is one of the most dramatic chapters in the pages of history. This is the story of the three men who led the Conquest. Setting out to gain new lands for Spain, they were lured to their own destruction by the promise of fabulous riches in the new land. Their story is one of unparalleled greed, of cruelty and plunder. While they made Spain the most powerful nation in the world, they themselves died poor and dishonored.

Hernando Cortés landed in Vera Cruz in 1519 with four hundred and fifty men. He burned his ships so that the men could not desert in the face of danger. Goaded on by the golden gifts sent him by Montezuma, the ruler of Mexico, he conquered that great empire and destroyed the oldest civilization in America. But his rivals in Spain poisoned the King's mind against him and Cortés finally died in heartbreak.

Francisco Coronado, Governor of New Galicia in Mexico, set out to find the "Seven Golden Cities of Cibola". But there was no gold and there were no jewels and the Cities were only Zuni Indian pueblos of dried mud. While he acquired vast territory for Spain, he died a poor and forgotten man.

Francisco Pizzaro was regarded by the Incas as the long awaited "Child of the Sun". The Emperor showered him with jewels and riches and he might have been a powerful influence in the establishment of friendly relations between Indians and Spaniards. But his lust for gold led to the blood conquest of the vast empire of Peru. Hated even by his own countrymen, he was murdered by them in the end.

From the dust jacket