Download Primary Sources: The Spanish Conquest of the Aztecs

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Primary Sources: The Spanish Conquest of the Aztecs
SEE EXHIBIT #1: I am the god of the tender corn shoot, ah! Emerald is my heart. I shall see gold water. My life
shall revise, and the primal man shall grow strong, ay! He who gives the war cry has been born.
--Song to Xipe Totec, Drinker of Darkness
What colors are associated with the corn god? Why are these colors significant?
Briefly describe the corn god’s personality and outlook, based on the song. Then tell why you think the corn god was
important to early Mexican culture.
What kinds of instruments are in the Aztec orchestra?
The Tezcatlipoca was the god of hell and ruled over Mexican souls, and his body was encircles by little devils with
snakes’ tails. The walls were so crusted with blood, and the floor all seeped in it, that there was not such a stench in all
of the slaughter-houses of Castile.
--Bernal Díaz del Castillo, excerpt from True History of the Conquest of New Spain
According to the quotation, how important is the god of hell to his followers?
What do you think has taken place in this shrine where the statue of Tezcatlipoca stands? Give reasons for your thinking.
I have just heard that the said Cuitláhuac has sent his messengers through the lands and provinces to tell his vassals
that they are granted a year’s exemption from all tribute and services they are obliged to make. They should neither
give nor pay him anything at all provided that they use all their strength to wage most cruel war against all Christians,
until they are either dead or driven from the land.
--excerpt from a letter from Cortés to Emperor Charles V
What does Cuitláhuac want his subjects to do? What “deal” is he making with them?
Who is this enemy that Cuitláhuac will wage war against? Why does he want to defeat them?
SEE EXHIBIT #2: Four pages from the Codex Mendoza
Antonio de Mendoza, who in 1535 became the first Spanish viceroy in Mexico, ordered this document to be made. All of
the notations in writing are in Spanish.
Page 1 shows the arrival of the Aztecs at their capital city Tenochtitlán, after a period of long wanderings. The Aztec god
Huitzilopchtli told them that when they saw an eagle seated on a nopal (prickly pear) cactus in the midst of a lake, they
were to build their city.
Page 2 shows the tributes paid to Aztec emperor Montezuma from his subjects.
Page 3 shows the offerings made to the Aztec priests.
Page 4 shows Montezuma seated in his throne room. It looks out onto a flat roof from which steps descend to the lower
story. Outside are people chatting together as they wait for an audience with Montezuma or one of his aides.
Who gets the jaguar skins? What kinds of objects are most valuable, do you think?
What are the four people seated directly underneath Montezuma talking about?
SEE EXHIBIT #3: Instruction given to Aztec children
The spots above the drawings represent the age of the children—starting with seven spots for seven years and so on. The
round and semicircular objects drawn into each picture represent tortillas (maize pancakes); at seven years old a child is
only allowed one and a half of these each day, to teach him not to be greedy. When he is thirteen, his allowance goes up to
two tortillas. Children began their instruction at the age of seven. At the age of fifteen they were handed over either to the
priests or to the Master of Youths (depending on whether they were going to be priests or warriors) for further instruction.
In what specific ways is Aztec education similar to your education in Westlake? In what ways is it different?
Would you have been chosen by the priests or by the Master of Youths? Why?
SEE EXHIBIT #4: The Aztec calendar stone
The Aztec calendar stone, which measures 13 feet in diameter, has at its hub Tonatiuh, god of the sun. At either side of
him two jaguars eat human hearts, which were thought to be the only food fit for the gods. All the signs in the calendar
have mathematical and chronological values, and experts believe that the positions of Venus and other planets can be
calculated from it at any date, past or future, much more quickly than with a set of modern astronomical tables.
What does the stone say about the Aztec view of time?