Analysis of Victor and Vanquished: Spanish and Nahua Views of the Conquest of Mexico - Book Report/Review Example

Analysis of Victor & Vanquished: Spanish & Nahua Views of the Conquest of Mexico Studies show that the Northern Hemisphere kept plenty of history, which described various conquests and wars. Part of this history indicates the conquest of the Mexica or Aztec Empire and its subsequent downfall is very significant as it was hugely defining. Despite the presence of different proceedings describing other wars and conquests, the Mexica is more preferable given that resource findings reveal that it was the largest empire ever built in Central America1. The story looks and reads more like a script of a movie wherein, an infinite collection of Spanish conquistadors ends up taking down a whole empire on their own. This battle is so much memorable and studied since it was epic and led to total destruction of a magnificent culture. This paper will seek to give an analysis of Victor and Vanquished, a book describing the views of the Spaniards and Nahua during the Conquest of Mexico. This book discusses war and conquest and adds some information on the growing attitude towards the European Expansionism. The war was about taking over an entire kingdom whereby the Spaniards destroyed a deep-rooted culture of the Mexicans by killing or forcing them to become or join their beliefs, which included Christianity. In the book, the story describes the growth of the Spaniards and their subsequent takeover of the Aztec Empire. These Spanish Conquistadors developed an interest in the land of the Aztecs mainly because they considered Mexica a great deal of “civilization”2. This was so because, in the Spaniards point of view, Mexica was full of power and political ability and was rich in different useful technologies. Some of these technologies included the art of astronomy, agriculture, mathematics, and crafts as well as many other great technologies. Nevertheless, a closer outlook into the chapters in this book reveals that the book covered the history of war and conquest fueled by the expansionism of the European activities towards Central America. Generally, the scope of this book aimed at discussing the means in which the Spanish Conquistadors found their way into Central America, developed an interest in the Mexica Empire, ended up deciding to rule that kingdom by murdering people from young to old in the name of their god3. Particularly, the Spanish Conquistadors believed that they were in war and they had to fulfill their quest to overturn and rule the Mexican Empire by conquering and colonizing the Aztecs via their Christian faith and religious beliefs. Despite both sides put down different account for their story, the overall belief derived after reading the book highlights that the conquest and takeover of the Mexican Empire would come just as deities and mystics of the Aztecs opined. Highlighting that the people of Mexica had not formalized means of putting down information for others to access, they kept it by carrying it other generations through oral and pictographic recordings. The writer’s purpose to put this book into writing was to give a clear discourse into how the Spaniard waged war against a whole empire and destroyed its culture and beliefs known to have been in place even years before Christ was born. Traditions recorded in this book show that they had reached an apogee, which is between 600, and 900 C.E that is now referred to as the Mesoamerica’s Classic Era4. After analyzing the story, I found that the central theme or thesis is the implausible level of technological knowhow that the Spaniards maintained over the Mexicans. This kin of level of technological made the Spanish Conquistadors appear more powerful and experienced compared to the Mexicans who believed much on their culture. However, after fighting for over three years, the Spaniards were able to conquer and overthrow the Mexican culture despite having stayed within them for as long as they could remember. The war ended when the Spaniards emerged as victors with the Mexican culture and beliefs destroyed and with their leader under the captivity of the Spaniards. Note that, the Europeans’ main aim was to amass adequate wealth and harness substantial or rather great power over the other states. The author of the book stresses much on those things that contributed to the start of this war. The Mexican Empire was independent and did not depend on the Spaniards on any way. On the other end, the Spaniards had great envy for the Aztec’s agrarian technology that facilitated their success in agriculture hence; the Spaniards considered this technology a great factor for their conquest in Central America5. The Mexicans had an adequate supply of foodstuffs from their farms since they produced it in plenty. They lived in a strategic island where they were able to have great control over their territory. They had sentimental knowledge in designing and art. As the story continues, it is seeable that the author emphasizes dearly on the Toltec’s role in handing down an insurmountable legitimacy and authority to his descendants who were the Aztecs. Following this advantageous role, the Aztecs developed and maintained great political authority over the Central American societies. The author also stresses in on the proceedings after the fall of the Tula kingdom and he indicates that Central America remained with no pivotal authority. Thus, there were many indigenous languages, which consisted of Totonac and Tarascan, but with Nahuatl language as the mostly spoken language6. The major conclusions of the story show that the Spaniards’ call for conquest evolved from religious or spiritual point of reasoning. The ways used by the author to narrate the story point out that the Aztecs believed in eight omens in which the arrival and the subsequent eruption of war was part of the eight omens. Accordingly, the excerpt noted that out of these eight omens, the eighth one signified civilization which according to the Aztecs, it was the end of the world. Thus, their cultural beliefs became a reality at the time when the Spaniards waged war against them, thereafter defeated them, and made them invisible or unidentifiable through death or conversion into Christianity7. The author is indeed trying to disapprove a number of the Aztecs’ beliefs and traditional ideas. For example, Schwartz does not belief that a whole empire could be defeated despite having such technology, skills, and food supplies. Profoundly, the author does not seem in agreement with such an idea. Therefore, in his perspective, such traditions are a threat to their society’s survival. The writer bases his story on additional evidence from thesis of another or a previously stated writing following the idea that he draws much of his evidence from the Spanish testimonies account and victory written by Barnel Diaz in the year 1632. Similar to Diaz’s account describing the Spanish conquest, Schwartz supports Diaz’s version by providing more substantiation on the story by recounting how individual ethnic or cultural biases, interests, political attributes, and class differences prejudiced the elucidation of certain momentous events. In one way, the book is chiefly a straight storyline as it introduces an ample biographical note succeeded by a nine sequential segment, which illuminates the foremost events and individualities in that dominant historical episode8. On the other end, it is a diagnostic episode as it provides an extensive array of maps and visual images, Nahua terms, biographical notes, selected bibliography, questions for consideration, glossary of Spanish notes, and an index. The most central point delivered by the book is the way in which the Spaniards subjugated the powerful culture of Mexica and overall takeover of that spectacular city of Tenochtitlan. Furthermore, the European gluttony for power and amassing of great wealth is yet another imperative message delivered in this anecdote. The legend delivered in this book relates to the intact course of Afro Latin, America, or Colonial Latin American history in that it discusses the origin and the main factors that facilitated confrontation and conquest between the Europeans and the Native Americans. Specifically, the subject of technology, wealth, and power plays a central role in both cases9. In conclusion, the chronicle shines light into the Central American history in general by giving deeper insights into the Spanish occupation in Central America as well as the British expansion into Mexico. Moreover, it shines light on the supposed control of the Indians, the comprehensive ascend into authority by the Mexica Empire, and the significant explanation of Mesoamerican versus Spanish societies throughout the eve of the pervasive conquest. The story contributes into a fuller indulgent of particular phases of the Latin American history by describing the origin, growth, and occupation of the Spaniards and highly discussed settlement of the Europeans in the Central part of America10. Critically, the narrative gives a descriptive understanding of how the customs and intellectual beliefs of the Aztec people gnarled in addition to the establishment and decline of the Mexican Empire. With reference to the story, to those who felt that were about to lose their lives during the course of the conquest being unacceptable, they had to change and head lives just like the Spaniards. Bibliography Schwartz Stuart B, Victors and Vanquished: Spanish and Nahua Views of the Conquest of Mexico (Boston: Bedford /St. Martin's, 2000), 5-240. Read More