The discovery of the New World has been called the greatest event in history. Never before had knowledge of the world expanded so fast, and never before had such violence, death and destruction been unleashed on an unsuspecting world. It was of course the Spanish, the winners, who wrote the history books, and since the sixteenth century we have been persuaded that it was not just superior weaponry but mental, cultural and moral supremacy that allowed a few hundred heroic Spaniards to triumph over vast armies of barbaric Amerindians.
The Spanish achievement was indeed incredible, but they had many tricks up their sleeve: gunpowder, horses, savage dogs, even smallpox. What guaranteed their victory, however, was their ruthless determination, and that was fuelled by their insatiable lust for Latin American gold. Michael Wood tells one of history's greatest adventure stories - a story of courage, cruelty, and the violent collision of two worlds.
