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Following the conquest of central Mexico, expeditions led by conquistadores seeking to acquire or enhance their wealth and political power fanned out to the south, west and north. Western Mexico, which would become New Galicia, was of particular interest because of its location close to central Mexico and its possession of minerals and potentially important harbours on the Pacific coast. But this region, while densely settled, was politically fragmented and ethnically and linguistically diverse. The lack of unity among native groups, combined with rivalries between Spanish conquistadores and officials, created a complex pattern of allegiances, further complicated by conflict with Chichimec Indians on the borders of the region. Conquest could not be achieved swiftly, therefore, but was piecemeal, prolonged and violent. It was not until 1550, after the Spanish had faced a major uprising known as the Mixton War, that some semblance of Spanish control of the region was achieved.
Altman's narrative begins with the first Spanish expedition to the region by Francisco Cortes in 1524. Few details of this expedition remain, though it seems it was not without bloodshed. However, the devastation it wrought pales into significance compared to the two-year campaign led by Nuño de Guzmán in 1529, which resulted in the widespread enslavement and destruction of native villages. Altman describes in detail how some 10,000 to 15,000 troops, with weapons and equipment, were mobilised for the campaign, providing insight into the logistics of maintaining sizeable armies in largely hostile territory. He also provides glimpses of the role of female leaders (cacicas)...