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) in preparing the native troops for war. This section, and many others in the book, will be of special interest to military historians. The response of native groups and individuals varied from flight to resistance or appeasement. Ultimately the campaign left conquest incomplete and failed to deliver the rewards Nuño de Guzmán sought, but it marked the beginning of a Spanish presence in the region.

In chapter 3 Altman describes how the Spanish attempted to consolidate political control of the region through the normal Spanish processes of founding towns, appointing officials and distributing lands and encomiendas. The account focuses particularly on the character and activities of the officials appointed. This reflects in part the nature of the sources, but also the critical role played by the poor quality of appointees and their brutal, arbitrary and even sadistic conduct in fuelling hostilities between Spaniards as well as with and between Indians. One difficulty the Spanish faced was that native communities in this region, unlike those in Central Mexico, had not been subject to tribute and forced labour drafts in pre-Columbian times, so that the exaction of these often required intimidation and force. The numbers enslaved, some 5,000 officially between 1535 and 1537 alone, were not insignificant. However, unlike the practice in Central America, slaves were not for the most part exported from the region, for they were considered essential for its development, especially after mining took off with the discovery of silver at Zacatecas in 1546. Meanwhile over a thousand Indians were conscripted to serve on Francisco Vázquez de Coronado's expedition to New Mexico in search of the mythical seven cities of gold. The relentless accounts of abuse make for grim reading, but serve to paint a picture of growing disorder, displacement and violence.

Chapter 5 describes how the Indians prepared for war over months, if not years, retreating to well-defended hill sites or peñoles north of Guadalajara. The largest was Mixton, which gave its name to the war. Altman argues that while the common experience of abuse and exploitation fostered widespread resistance, and its spread was encouraged by Zacateca millenarian visions of a better society, the lack of centralised authority and the diverse aims of different groups meant that it was a far from unified movement. Individuals and communities made choices as to whether or not to side with the rebels, fearing retribution from one side or the other. The peak of indigenous resistance came with the siege of Guadalajara by 15,000 rebels. Although this was eventually lifted, it brought home to the Spanish the gravity of the situation. The rebellion was suppressed only by an expedition of 30,000 Indian auxiliaries drafted from Central Mexico and New Galicia and led by the viceroy himself, Antonio de Mendoza.

Altman's compelling narrative of the violent course of conquest in New Galicia is based largely on the judicial reviews (residencias) of the governor of New Galicia, Nuño de Guzmán, and the viceroy, Antonio de Mendoza, at the end of their terms of office, and on the probanzas (statements of merit) of others who took part in the campaigns. Because of their nature such records often paint the subject in a good light and the testimonies they contain are often dismissed as formulaic and filtered through interpreters. Yet, as the author demonstrates, if interrogated in depth, such sources can yield rich detail and provide alternative perspectives. Hence, Altman draws out native views of the conflict, strengthening them by reference to translated Nahuatl texts and images drawn from Aztec codices. In her analysis she pays particular attention to the roles of women and priests. Throughout the book Altman handles the sources in an exemplary way, exposing their contradictions and eschewing simple conclusions and stereotyping.

While ostensibly a straightforward narrative of the conquest of Nueva Galicia, this study provides many insights into the complex and messy realities of conquest, which were repeated elsewhere to different degrees. It was not just a case of Spaniards versus Indians. The book shows how the fragmented pre-Columbian political landscape meant that conquest of the region would probably never have been easy, but also how the personalities of conquistadores and the rivalry between them gave it a particularly violent flavour. In addition to demonstrating the importance of structure and agency, the book shows how events can also influence the course of history, for example the accidental death of Pedro de Alvarado when his horse fell on him, which emboldened native resistance and thus brought home to the Spanish the seriousness of the rebellion. The book is not only destined to become the standard work on the conquest of New Galicia, but is a compelling read and a thought-provoking study that invites comparisons with the conquest elsewhere in Spanish America.