The Sad Night: The Story of an Aztec Victory and a Spanish Loss

Expertly weaving dialogue into her absorbing account, Mathews chronicles the fateful encounter that paved the way for the Spaniards' conquest of Mexico more than 400 years ago. As she sets the stage, Mathews explains how the Aztecs, under Moctezuma, vanquished other tribes to establish an expansive empire based on the island of Tenochtitlan, now Mexico City. When Spanish soldiers entered the city in 1519, Moctezuma mistook their leader, Hernan Cortes, for a god and offered him gold and jewels. The arrival of a second fleet of Spanish ships led to the battle that took place on ``The Sad Night''; Moctezuma was killed and the Spaniards, attempting to escape with a cache of gold, were chased and defeated by the Aztecs. Mathews neatly distills the intricate details of this skirmish, observing that there were many casualties on both sides, and that the victors ``did not know that this was the last battle they would win.'' Inspired by the few Aztec codices that survived the Spanish conquest, Mathews's dynamic ink and electric-hued watercolor art plays a strong role in the telling of this intriguing story. Endnotes succinctly encapsulate the rise and fall of the Aztec empire, and a brief discussion of Aztec symbols and calendars includes striking examples. Ages 6-9. (Apr.)