Thomas, Hugh  (, 1931-) <br/><br/>
Rivers of gold  : the rise of the Spanish Empire, from Columbus to Magellan 
/ Hugh Thomas 
 - New York  : Random House  , 2005, c2003. 
 - xxi, 696 p.  : ill. (some col.), maps  ; 24 cm. 
<br/><br/>Includes bibliographical references (p. [555]-574) and index. 
<br/><br/> A momentous year for Western civilization, 1492 saw the defeat of the last Islamic state in western Europe and the setting forth of expeditions that would open up an entire hemisphere to European exploration and development. The year 1522 marked the conquest of the Aztecs by Cort?s and the return of Magellan's expeditions from the first circumnavigation of the world. Thomas (Conquest: Cortes, Montezuma, and the Fall of Old Mexico) here considers Spanish explorers and colonizers from 1492 to 1522, profiling both the famous (e.g., Columbus) and lesser-known but important figures like Cardinal Cisneros and the governors of the Indies. Thomas also relates the effects that the New World had on Spain. One drawback Thomas's Eurocentric approach is evident in his chapter on the conquest of Mexico, which seems to understate the importance of Cort?s's Indian allies, stressing their value as porters and not as fighters. 
<br/><br/><br/>English 
<br/><br/><label>ISBN: </label>9780812970555 
<br/><br/><label>LCCN: </label>2003069316 
<br/><br/><label>Subjects--Geographic Terms: </label><br/>America---Discovery and exploration<br/>Spain---Colonies---History
<br/><br/><label>LC Class. No.: </label>E123  / .T56 2003b 
<br/><br/><label>Dewey Class. No.: </label>LAS 980.01 THO