Book Review

By: Dr. Jim Rittenhouse

This book represents a branching out for Dr. Rittenhouse, previously known for his outstanding work on the details of Aztec ceremonial life. Dr. Rittenhouse brings his considerable scholarship to bear on the later history of Spanish Mexico in this outstanding work.

The first couple of chapters introduce those of us who are not MesoAmerican scholars to the background of the French invasion. Dr. Rittenhouse points out the important role of the circle of spoiled sons of conquistadores loosely grouped around Martin Cortes, the illegitimate son of the famous conqueror in precipitating the French invasion. These conspirators apparently hoped that French intervention would allow them to establish an independent conquistadore-run state in what was then called New Spain. They played a major role in making the French attack possible by providing the French with information on Spanish defenses and vulnerabilities, as well as on the geography of northern Mexico.

Dr. Rittenhouse’s background in Mexican Indian affairs allows him to delve deeply into the roles of the various Indian military allies of New Spain. He points out that in 1562 those allies still played a very important role in the security of New Spain. He looks at the roles of the politically sophisticated Tlaxcallans, with their excellent grasp of Spanish politics. He also looks at less sophisticated Spanish allies such as the Otomi, and the groups like the Tarascans and the Cazcanes who were looking for other options even before the French invasion. He points out that in the New Spain of 1562, individual Indian polities like the Tlaxcallans still had larger populations than all of the Spaniards of New Spain.

The chapter on the Chichemic Indians of the deserts north of civilized Mexico is probably the weakest in the book. It misses several important new sources of information on the Chichemics, including my 1998 book The Shifting Frontier: Chichemic Versus ‘Civilized’ Indians in pre-Spanish Mexico. Dr. Rittenhouse does do a good job of clarifying the confusion that might have resulted from the fact that the famous conquistadore had two sons named Martin Cortez, one his legitimate son with a Spanish noblewoman, the other the result of an officially acknowledged encounter with an Indian woman during the conquest.

Dr. Rittenhouse also does a good job of explaining the decision-making process of the French in making the decision to go directly to the source of Spanish wealth in the America, rather than nibbling at the peripheries. France and Spain had fought a series of wars in Europe, extending off-and-on for nearly fifty years. Those wars officially ended in 1559 with both powers forced into bankruptcy by the heavy expenditures. King Henry of France was now watching the Spanish quickly rebuild their power as the flow of gold and silver from Mexico and Peru renewed their financial muscle. France had no similar source of new wealth, and Henry feared that Spain would build up its power to the point where France could no longer compete if Spain renewed the war. As Dr. Rittenhouse correctly points out, from the French point of view the strike against Mexico was an essentially defensive operation.

This is a fascinating, but little known period of history, and Dr. Rittenhouse covers it in rich detail. That attention to detail is apparent from the background in New Spain and in Europe, to the founding of the first French bases on the northeast coast of New Spain. Dr. Rittenhouse guides us through all of the plots and counter-plots that unfolded as the various Indian political groups of New Spain and the Indians of the wild deserts on its edge assessed the opportunities and dangers presented by this new major competitor to the Spanish government. He is noticeably less effective when he discusses the intrigues of the various Spanish factions, but one can still understand the basics of the conspiracy that led to the death of the Spanish Viceroy and the devastating Spanish defeat in front of the French base at Fort Henry.

As he moves further into the thirty-year campaign that culminated in the seizure of Mexico City by a French led, but primarily Indian force in 1593, Dr. Rittenhouse is somewhat less effective, but he still makes the period come alive for readers. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the Spanish period of Mexican history and the process by which "New Spain" became a French colony.

Click to send me feedback on this alternate history review.