The Conquistadores: 101 (Men-at-Arms)

I brought this book in the hope that I would be able to learn more about the Spanish Conquistadores, their arms, armour, tactics and military orginisation. While some of these topics were covered in short detail, I was dissapointed to see that only a meagre amount of the book is actually about the Conquistadores.Less than ten pages of this title is about these Spanish Conquerors, and of the eight pages of full colour plates, only two of these actually show Spanish troops.The majority of the book is about the Aztecs, Mayans, Incas, Tlaxcalans and other native peoples. The author devotes more space to the Aztecs in this book than any other group, including the Spanish.In this regard, the book would have been better titled "The Conquistadores and their Native American allies and enemies".Despite these problems the book is brilliantly illustrated by Angus McBride, and Terrence Wise is a good clear writer. For those who are looking for more in depth information about the Conquistadores, they should try "The Conquistador 1492-1550 (Warrior 40)" By John Pohl - which is also published by Opsrey.This book might serve as a good short introduction on the cultures and militaries of 16th Century Mesoamerica, but don't expect to be given an in-depth overview of their European conquerors.