Bernal Díaz del Castillo was born circa 1495 at Medina del Campo, Castille. He died in 1584 in Guatemala city. Even though Díaz claimed to have been in poverty as a young child, his family could read and write which was a mark of higher class. He originally began exploring because he wanted to get a fortune and he heard that he would be able to as a soldier because of the great deal of spanish conquests. He was married to the daughter of a Spanish conquistador. Díaz went on multiple expeditions to both the New World and Mexico. He was intrigued by treasures and fortunes in America so he traveled there with Pedrarias. He also went on multiple expeditions to the Yucatán and traded with unfriendly natives. Díaz was present at numerous historically important battles as a Spanish soldier. He was also there during the conquest of Mexico, when the Aztec Capital fell. Díaz wrote a book titled The True History of the Conquest of New Spain. His book displayed the life of a soldier during expeditions as opposed to solely the views of the leader. …show more content…
He began writing it around 1552. His purpose was to gain recognition for what he did. However, it was not published until fifty years after his death. In his works he described details of a soldier’s everyday life as opposed to the, already accounted for, life of the leader. This is historically important because this point of view was not often given and it was important to have different perspectives. Most soldiers could not read and write so this shows that his family had high status. His book was written modestly and in colloquial, familiar or conversational, language. The book is also quite detailed, giving nicknames habits and clothing of his fellow soldiers. The book was popular with European readers because it was less stiff than other pieces written in the same time period. He was ranked as one most well know Spanish conquistadors because of his