The Other Conquest

The Other Conquest (Spanish: La Otra Conquista) is a 1999 Mexican historical drama film written and directed by Salvador Carrasco, produced by Alvaro Domingo, and executive produced by Plácido Domingo. The film is set during the aftermath of the 1520s Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire, viewed primarily from the perspective of the Aztecs. The plot begins after the Massacre in the Great Temple in Tenochtitlan, and follows a lone Aztec scribe named Topiltzin , who is captured by Hernan Cortés and placed in the care of a friar. Samuel Zyman's score was recorded by the Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields, conducted by David Snell and performed by Plácido Domingo. Released by Twentieth Century Fox in 1999, the film received positive reviews and was a Mexican box office success. The film was rereleased for the United States in 2008. Plot Topilzin, a scribe and the illegitimate son of Montezuma, finds himself at odds with the new Spanish rule. Refusing the new Christian religion and assaulting a friar, Topilzin is handed over to the army by his brother and brought to Hernán Cortés and his lover, Tecuichpo. Topilzin's life is spared and he is flogged in public, receiving a spiritual revelation. Topilzin abandons his life as a scribe to become a monk, joining an order led by friar Diego. Cast Damián Delgado as Topiltzin / Tomás José Carlos Rodríguez as Fray Diego de La Coruña Elpidia Carrillo as Tecuichpo / Doña Isabel Iñaki Aierra as Hernando Cortés Honorato Magaloni as Capitán Cristóbal Quijano Guillermo Ríos as Alanpoyatzin - brother Diana Bracho as Doña Juana Carlos Torres Torrija as Soldier Héctor (credited as Carlos Torrestorija)