THE NEW WORLD OF MARTIN CORTÉS

Lanyon’s graceful, compelling account of her pursuit of the story of the son of Hernán Cortés and Malinche, an Amerindian woman who was the subject of the author’s Malinche’s Conquest (2000).

In this swift, lucid blend of history and memoir, Australian writer Lanyon tells of her hours in archives, her discoveries in Mexican and Spanish sites, her emotional journey back to the 16th century to unravel the complicated story of the eldest Cortés son. Compounding the author’s difficulties was Hernán Cortés’s decision to name two of his sons Martin, the elder illegitimate, the younger his lawful heir. (Lanyon’s sources sometimes failed to distinguish between the two.) The author has hit upon an effective technique she employs throughout—to summarize the events and then to slip into the first-person to tell about both her research and her thoughts and feelings as she made her discoveries. This makes for a very engaging narrative. Lanyon calls Martin “a true child of the New World,” one of the first children born to a Spanish invader and an Amerindian woman, a Mayan held in slavery by the Aztec at the time Cortés made his conquests. It’s likely that Martin did not remember much about his mother—when he was six, his father took him to Spain, where the boy served in the court of both Carlos V and Felipe II. Later, Martin returned to Mexico with his brothers (including the other Martin) and watched this other Martin steadily sink into a dissipation that not only ruined his reputation but made him vulnerable to accusations of treason that resulted in the executions of his friends (grisly moments well-described) and the permanent banishment from Mexico of the brothers Cortés. Lanyon’s most wrenching writing comes when Martin Cortés (the good son!) endures torture by rack and water but steadfastly declares his innocence. Later, back in Spain, recovered, Martin died in the military service of the emperor.

Luminous proof that history glows with emotion. (11 b&w illustrations)