'Ambivalent Conquests sets a high standard of elegance in style and argument.' Nancy Farriss, Hispanic American Historical Review 'This is a splendid book by a gifted historian.' Steve J. Stern, American Historical Review 'This is an intricate story, by turns exhilarating and depressing, of cultural interaction among parties whose motives were consciously and unconsciously at variance... Clendinnen's reconstruction is a model of historical intelligence and anthropological empathy couched in superbly crafted prose." Frederick P. Bowser, Latin American Research Review '[Clendinnen's] analysis of the symbolic forms of everyday life sheds new light on the relationship between the 'social' and the 'sacred'.' Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences 'A worthwhile contribution.' Matthew Restall, UCLA Historical Journal