Summary: The Broken Spears

After Columbus’s opening of the New World for European with his 1492 voyage, it was not long until more Europeans came to this unexplored world. One such explorer was Hernan Cortez of Spain who came into contact with the Aztec Empire. Through the work of The Broken Spears, edited by Miguel León-Portilla, a relationship of conflict from a lack of understanding and misinterpreting of the others intentions was seen between the Mexica and Spanish empires as the Mexica saw the Spanish as gods, and the Spanish saw that as submission to them. Before the initial contact between the two peoples, the Mexica Emperor, Motecuhzoma, had visions and saw omens which foretold a great disaster. These omens were made ten years before the arrival of the Spanish, and while the visions Motecuhzoma saw were vague and open to interpretation, the arrival of the Spanish on giant ships was a large enough shift in everyday life that many would …show more content…
While it is unclear what the direct cause was, the Spanish massacred the warriors and priests within the temple. The Fiesta had Mexica dance and sing in the temple, dancers who disobeyed in any way were dragged off by fasting priests. The Spanish saw all of this and likely were confused by what was happening, and with the rumors of cannibalism, sacrifice and magic, they possibly interpreted the Fiesta as something Satanic. There was a great statue of Huitzilopochtli that was created for the fiesta. It is a key belief in Judeo-Christian theology to not have false idols and it was possible the Spanish saw the statue as Mexica worship of Satan by another name. If the Spanish believed this, then massacring the warriors at the temple would have been justified, as good Catholic Spanish could never willingly and peacefully observe a satanic ritual. To the Mexica, it was unprovoked and sudden, but to the Spanish it was a holy duty and truly