Conquest of the Aztec Empire

“History is written by the winners.”

A prophecy?

• The Toltecs – an ancient Mexican civilization – told stories of a mythical god/founder, Topiltzin. Many described him as the human incarnation of the god Quetzalcoatl – a feathered serpent. Topiltzin was described as “being of fair skin, with long hair and a black beard.” Some versions of the story say that after being driven out of his homeland, Quetzalcoatl set off with followers on a raft formed of serpents on a journey to the east, from which he was supposed to return some day…

Did Moctezuma initially believe Cortés was Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl returning after 600 years?

Maybe?

• The only surviving sources that tell this story are written by the Spanish.

• Why might the Spanish want to portray the Aztec emperor as a superstitious native who believed Cortés was a god?

Who were the barbarians?

Both?

AZTECS• Human sacrifice

SPANISH• Conquest through

deceit and use of wholesale terror

Question: How did 400 Spaniards take down an empire of 11 million people?

Question: How did 400 Spaniards take down an empire of 11 million people?

Answer: In terms of development, Europe simply had a head start.

(Mexican civilization was developing more quickly than European civilization had – but they just got started later.)

How did 400 Spaniards take down an empire of 11 million people?

• Advanced weaponry

• Military tactics– To the Aztecs, “battle was ideally a sacred duel between

matched warriors”– The Spanish fought “cowardly” (shot weapons at a distance,

avoided hand-to-hand combat, hid behind their cannons)

• Allies

• DISEASE– Introduced before Cortés even arrived

After the initial Conquest, how were the natives “dealt with”?

“On behalf of the King of Spain, subduer of the barbarous nations, we notify you that God created the Heaven and the Earth, and one man and one woman, of whom you and we, all the men of the world, are descendants. Of all these men, God gave charge to the Pope and all shall obey him and he shall be the head of the Human Race. Because God gave our Pope charge of the entire world, it is our responsibility to take the land and serve Him by spreading His faith. If you accept our faith, then we shall receive you in all love and charity. But, if you do not accept our faith, we shall powerfully enter your country and make war against you in all ways and manners that we can. We shall subject you to the yoke and obedience of the Church and of their Kings; we shall take you and your wives and your children and shall make slaves of them. The deaths and losses that come from this are your fault, and not our fault nor our Kings.

Do you accept our God as your God, renouncing all other gods as false? Do you agree that this land belongs to us as the representatives of the Pope – the voice of God on earth? Do you accept?”

Was this fair?

The Spaniards viewed the Indians in one of two ways…

1. As barbaric, evil animals who don’t deserve to be treated like human beings.

2. As innocent, naïve children who don’t know any better.

Two questions:• Which of these is worse?• What types of Spaniards might choose to believe the

first? The second?

The Spaniards viewed the Indians in one of two ways…

1. As barbaric, evil animals who don’t deserve to be treated like human beings. - Conquistadores

2. As innocent, naïve children who don’t know any better. – Priests/Missionaries

Depictions of the Ancient Americas in pop culture

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngWBddVNVZs