On the Spot: Amy Fuller
‘I can solve one historical mystery? I’d like to have proven that Hernán Cortés murdered his first wife.’
Why are you a historian of colonial Mexico?
I was introduced to the Mexican nun Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz during my MA, and became fascinated by her religious plays and their representation of Spanish imperialism.
What’s the most important lesson history has taught you?
There is no such thing as a perfect or unbiased source, and progress is not linear.
Which history book has had the greatest influence on you?
The Pyramid Under the Cross by Viviana Díaz Balsera.
What book in your field should everyone read?
Malintzin’s Choices by Camilla Townsend.
Which moment would you most like to go back to?
I would have loved to see Philip II’s relic collection in the Escorial.
Which historian has had the greatest influence on you?
Sabine MacCormack.
Which person in history would you most like to have met?
George Michael.
How many languages do you have?
My Spanish is decent. I can read some French, Portuguese, and Italian. My Latin is terrible. I’m starting to learn Nahuatl.
What historical topic have you changed your mind on?
A-level History made me hate the Tudors. I have warmed to them since.
What’s the most exciting field in history today?
There’s fascinating work being done around food history.
What is the most common misconception about your field?
That Hernán Cortés was a political genius, rather than a desperate fugitive with nothing to lose.
Who is the most underrated person in history…
Henrietta Lacks. She posthumously revolutionised medical research, saving over 10 million lives (albeit without having given her consent).
… and the most overrated?
Winston Churchill.
Is there an important historical text you have not read?
I haven’t finished Das Kapital.
What’s your favourite archive?
Archivo General de Indias, Seville.
What’s the best museum?
M Shed, Bristol.
What technology has changed the world the most?
Boats.
Recommend us a historical novel...
Pat Barker’sThe Silence of the Girls.
... and a historical drama?
Pride.
You can solve one historical mystery. What is it?
I’d like to have proven that Hernán Cortés murdered his first wife, so that he’d have faced justice for that crime at least.
Amy Fuller is Senior Lecturer in the History of the Americas at Nottingham Trent University. Her podcast, Challenging Histories, launches on 14 September.
