understand his character, aside from a short reference to his family history (46), and to his relative poverty. Even this poverty is seen as a sign of good character, for although Cortes has a considerable income from gold mines, he spends most of it on his clothes, his wife, and friends (47). The author instead assumes that Cortes is a heroic figure simply because he and his men are dedicated to the noble mission of conquering new land for Spain and for saving savage souls for the Church and Christ. That is all the information one needs in order to understand Cortes, his character, and his exploits, as far as Diaz is concerned. Diaz touches briefly on the marriage of Cortes (45), but quickly moves on to the conquering exploits of the Spaniard which are the heart and soul of the book: "The choice of Hernando Cortes [to lead the expedition] certainly served to exalt our Holy Faith and benefit His Majesty,
...