author
Francisco López de Gómara
1511–1564
A sharp early chronicler of the Spanish conquest, he wrote one of the best-known 16th-century accounts of Hernán Cortés and the fall of Mexico. His work was influential, controversial, and still debated for the way it shaped Europe's view of the New World.
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About the author
Born in Gómara, in Soria, in 1511, he became a Spanish priest, humanist, and historian. He is best known for Historia general de las Indias and for his account of Hernán Cortés's conquest of Mexico, works that helped spread news of Spain's overseas expansion across Europe.
What makes his writing unusual is that he never traveled to the Americas himself. Instead, he relied on reports from others, including people close to Cortés, and for a time served as Cortés's chaplain and secretary. That gave his histories a vivid, confident style, but it also led critics to question his accuracy and his admiration for the conqueror.
His books became widely read and were translated into several languages, yet they also sparked strong opposition. Critics such as Bernal Díaz del Castillo challenged his version of events, and the Spanish Crown eventually prohibited the circulation of one of his major histories. Even so, his writing remains an important window into how the conquest of the Americas was described and argued over in the 16th century.