The “Aztec Account of the Massacre of the Temple” is the Aztec empire’s interpretation of the unexpected incursion from the Spaniards, which led to a disastrous massacre of its empire.
Before getting in depth, the Aztec empire was established based upon an alliance between three different states, and as a united empire, they ruled in and around the valley of Mexico. To simplify, the Aztec empire refers to Mexico in modern world, and the Spaniards refer to the people of Spain.
On May 22nd of 1520, “Mexicas" (the people of the Aztec empire) gathered to celebrate the “Fiesta of Huitzitopochtli”—an Aztecan tradition to celebrate the honour of one of their main Gods: Tezcatlipoca—at the Patio of Gods. Without any warning, the celebration suddenly …show more content…
In my personal interpretation, the unforeseen attack of the Spaniards’ was their final maneuver to consolidate their authority/power over the Aztec empire, as they indeed achieve the conquest, only a year after the massacre; 1521. The document itself reveals two implications; a) the extreme fear and disconcertedness of the Aztec empire, and b) the Spaniards' desperate, yet overconfident conviction for power; therefore, an anticipated loss of the Aztec empire. Considering the previous/ongoing (at the time of the massacre) tension, it is safe to assume, that the Spaniards’ attack, perhaps was not necessarily as unexpected as it is described in the document. However, about the fact that the Spaniards chose to attack the innocent people of the Aztec empire—not even armed soldiers—during a traditional celebration reveals that their intentions were not only to destroy the people of the Aztec empire, but their core belief that makes the Aztec empire as a whole. In fact, there is a phrase in the document that denotes the anticipation of Aztec empires for a possible sudden attack; “Qucikly the captains assembled, as if planned in advance”.
To conclude, the historical significance of the “Aztec Account of the Massacre of the Temple” is indeed influential, as it occurred during a crucial moment in the history of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire. Not to mention, that the unfortunate massacre of the Aztec empire later became one of the most significant event to in the history of the Spanish colonization of the
Before getting in depth, the Aztec empire was established based upon an alliance between three different states, and as a united empire, they ruled in and around the valley of Mexico. To simplify, the Aztec empire refers to Mexico in modern world, and the Spaniards refer to the people of Spain.
On May 22nd of 1520, “Mexicas" (the people of the Aztec empire) gathered to celebrate the “Fiesta of Huitzitopochtli”—an Aztecan tradition to celebrate the honour of one of their main Gods: Tezcatlipoca—at the Patio of Gods. Without any warning, the celebration suddenly …show more content…
In my personal interpretation, the unforeseen attack of the Spaniards’ was their final maneuver to consolidate their authority/power over the Aztec empire, as they indeed achieve the conquest, only a year after the massacre; 1521. The document itself reveals two implications; a) the extreme fear and disconcertedness of the Aztec empire, and b) the Spaniards' desperate, yet overconfident conviction for power; therefore, an anticipated loss of the Aztec empire. Considering the previous/ongoing (at the time of the massacre) tension, it is safe to assume, that the Spaniards’ attack, perhaps was not necessarily as unexpected as it is described in the document. However, about the fact that the Spaniards chose to attack the innocent people of the Aztec empire—not even armed soldiers—during a traditional celebration reveals that their intentions were not only to destroy the people of the Aztec empire, but their core belief that makes the Aztec empire as a whole. In fact, there is a phrase in the document that denotes the anticipation of Aztec empires for a possible sudden attack; “Qucikly the captains assembled, as if planned in advance”.
To conclude, the historical significance of the “Aztec Account of the Massacre of the Temple” is indeed influential, as it occurred during a crucial moment in the history of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire. Not to mention, that the unfortunate massacre of the Aztec empire later became one of the most significant event to in the history of the Spanish colonization of the