The Spaniards Attitudes toward the Native Culture and People They Encountered with the Aztec - Essay Example

? History comprehends a malleable aspect of human existence that can be the of biases depending on the person or group who gives an account. It is almost impossible to regard any one account as purely objective because each person will essentially have his or her own predispositions inclined toward a personal interest or affinity. Consequently, during a time in our history when there was yet to be an instantaneous transfer of information and convergence of people, there are consequently things that get lost in the transmission process. This is simply why we call it history. Because it is a contracted word of his story in that all that we know from the past are stories from Western men as they chronicle the events that transpired from their limited perspective. The modern appreciation of historical facts gave birth to a thorough analysis of the events of the past and what the Western historians were at times unable to point out or those that were dismissed. Essentially, there were things that must be taken into consideration. “The conquistadors caught a fleeting glance of a civilization with a theology and symbolism as complex as contemporary Catholicism” (Fagan, p.343). The full understanding of any story must involve weighing in all possible accounts of what took place. It cannot be limited to an assertion inferred as fundamental facts. The same goes for a deeper understanding of the Conquistadors arrival and their colonization of the Aztecs. Limiting to the Spaniards’ accounts and personal inclinations gives rise to bias so that revisiting the available accounts of the natives must be integrated. This illuminates any historical reading to have an impartial assessment to reconcile facts from fiction. What Bernal Diaz provided in “The True History of the Conquest of New Spain” was a personal account of the battle with the Aztecs. It was a vivid narration that aims to disclose the true occurrences of the battle to provide for a more genuine description to put to rest all other claims proliferated by others. It contained detailed descriptions of the practices of the actual encounter. The most graphic were the practices of the natives on their captives, “with stone knives they sawed open their chests and drew out their palpitating hearts and offered them to the idols that were there, and they kicked the bodies down the steps, and Indian butchers who were waiting below cut off the arms and feet and flayed (the skin off) the faces” (Diaz, n.p.). The autobiographical account described the cannibalistic practices of the natives. The cries of the people on the destruction of their city, though veiled through the words of Diaz, seem to be valid reason for their anger. The people sought for the reconstruction of what they have lost. Diaz, as Wyman noted in her introduction came from a more deprived background wherein his venture into foreign land was for personal gain. The mind of a soldier and his hardships primarily regulate his point of view. The brotherhood among soldiers and their sufferings would be most palpable to him. This is apparent in the account as a strict narrative of a battle. This particular endeavour was the principal reason for his ascent into the social strata which maintains his courageous stance amidst the difficulties. Inadvertently, Diaz divulged Aztec practices such as how women helped the men by making their crude weapons including the preparation of the stones for their slings and in the sounding of the devices. In contrast to the narrative of Diaz, Hernan Cortes presents to the monarchy a descriptive account of the city of Temixtitlan under Moctezuma. He illustrates a place filled with life and vitality. It is one where there are social centers filled with economic growth. The market is filled with products and various trades. There are also specialized shops such as apothecaries and an indication of medicinal application including the sale of much sought after herbs and spices. “This Province is in the form of a circle, surrounded on all sides by lofty and rugged mountains; its level surface comprises an area of about seventy leagues in circumference, including two lakes, that overspread nearly the whole valley, being navigated by boats more than fifty leagues round” (Cortes, par. 2). Cortes is inevitably describing a delta where the freshwater and saltwater meet surrounded by mountains. The architecture was also deemed to be majestic where temples surpass all others and the set beliefs of the people. This unbridled account of Cortes discloses the dynamic culture already existing in the Aztecs. Cortes was also aware of what his account may entail upon its presentation to the King and Queen. “I am fully aware that the account will appear so wonderful as to be deemed scarcely worthy of credit; since even we who have seen these things with our own eyes, are yet so amazed as to be unable to comprehend their reality” (Cortes, par.1). Perceptibly, this account was given little regard because it is contradictory with Spain’s quest for God, gold and glory. Cortes gave an unfathomable portrayal of a place that closely resembles or even exceeds the modernity of civilization that his mother country has. Initially, he himself could not reconcile this fact having had the ardent belief that what lies beyond Europe are barbaric societies bereft of culture. Being a Hidalgo, Cortes had a better sense and the courage to speak more freely. Fray Bernardino de Sahagun’s interest in the Aztec perspective of the Conquistadors’ invasion further elucidates the other side of the story. The account is a story of treachery wherein the Aztecs were taken by surprise of the sudden attack of the Spaniards in what was supposed to be a re-enactment of the gathering of a feast. All that gathered were suddenly attacked and killed where no one was spared the onslaught of the massacre committed by the foreigners. As soon as this was realized, the Aztecs called for help from the others to inform them of what was happening (de Sahagun, p.39). These were conveyed by the Aztecs through narrative pictures of the events. This is affirmed by the Aztec poetry on the siege of their beloved city. “We have pounded our hands in despair/ against the adobe walls/ four our inheritance, our city, is lost and dead” (Epic Description of the Besieged City, lines 10-12). All of these accounts reveal the reality that there are aspects in our history that are partial. Perhaps we can no longer categorically confirm what the real events were as they happened because of the absence of evidences that are more objective than personal accounts. The imposition of superiority by the Western colonization brings forth the unrestricted inquiry into the real facts and not only by the superfluity of biased fixations. It is an imperative of history to educate us on where we came from to know where we are going. To be able to do this, there must be a greater regard for impartiality and this is true not only in relation to the past but also today. Bibliography Cortes, Hernan. "Modern History Sourcebook: Hernan Cortes: from Second Letter to Charles V, 1520." FORDHAM.EDU. June 1998. Web. 03 Oct. 2011. . Diaz, Del Castillo, Bernal, and J. M. Cohen. The Conquest of New Spain. Baltimore: Penguin, 1963. Print. Fagan, Brian M. From Black Land to Fifth Sun: the Science of Sacred Sites. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1998. Print. Leon, Portilla Miguel. The Broken Spears: the Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico. Boston: Beacon, 1992. Print. Sahagun, Bernardino De, Arthur J. O. Anderson, and Charles E. Dibble. General History of the Things of New Spain: Florentine Codex. Santa Fe, NM: School of American Research, 1950. Print. Read More