If you are a güera who works and lives among Mexicans, you will become familiar with the saying"Hijo de la chingada," and you know it's similar to saying SOB in English but not quite. AND, if you live with a Macho (Machista), and you're trying to understand why they hate you so much, you can be enlightened by reading this awesome and authentic work about Cortes, Malina, and the conquest of the Mexica and the ruination of their grandest city, Tenochtitlán. If you're already not that big a fan of Spaniards, you will be even more so after you read this book. One more destructive race of white people. Sigh. ( )

It's a classic historical story - Hernan Cortes and a relatively small troop of Spaniards march through the countryside of a newly discovered country in a newly discovered part of the world. What followed can best be captured by the immortal words of another world conquerer Julius Caesar: "veni, vidi, vici" - "I came, I saw, I conquered". Norman Spinrad is most well known as a science fiction author, but he makes a smooth transition into historical fiction with his very straight forward and beautifully written account of Hernan Cortes' conquering of the Aztecs.

"Mexica" refers to one of the proper names of the people that ultimately became known as Aztecs. The story is written from the perspective of the fictional Alvaro de Sevilla, notary and ghost writer for Hernan Cortes. Alvaro writes through the lens of someone who lived through most of Cortes' campaign, as well as someone who spent time with Cortes' adversary, Montezuma.

Most of Spinrad's novel is a well-written and consumable version of the actual Cortes adventure. The historical versions of this story come from sources that range from the very biased letters of Cortes himself, writings from relatively contemporary Aztecs, as well as the well-known writings of Bernal Diaz del Castillo, who makes a couple of cameo appearances in "Mexica". Spinrad weaves his tale through the pen of Alvaro who provides his own real-time perspective and analyses on events as he creates well-rounded three-dimensional characters in Cortes and Montezuma.

The slave-turned-translator, Malinal, becomes Alvaro's confidant and unwitting conspirator as well. Malinal and Alvaro are positioned as confidants to Cortes and find themselves guiding the hand of the conquistador - from helping secure the lease to explore the New World, to deftly dancing the dangerously heretical line of playing the role of god Quetzalcoatal, who lives in Mexica legend as a pale-faced bearded god who will return to the land of the Mexica from the East.

The greatest addition to the pantheon of New Spain conquest stories is the first person dialogues between Cortes and Montezuma themselves. It's here that Spinrad explores the myriad of motivations that are always skewed through historical perspective.

Alvaro learns the Mexica language of Nahautl and becomes Montezuma's confessor, confidant, and friend during the days in which he's held prisoner in his own city by the Spaniards. Montezuma's actions always appear to be rather random, superstitious, inconsistent, selfish, unexplainable, and barbaric. Spinrad spins the tale a different way as we see a sympathetic ruler, looking to do the best for his people and his city, while consistently seeking guidance and approval from his gods. While Aztec sacrifices seem hideously violent and harsh, as Alvaro points out, are the Aztec actions all that different from the Spaniards during the inquisition? Do Christians also not look to their gods for guidance and direction?

I thoroughly enjoyed his book. Battle scenes are well-told and realistic. Alvaro's theological explorations of what drove Montezuma and Cortes are clear and logical, and fit seamlessly with the well-paced story. ( )