Tlaxcalans allied with Hernán Cortés to bring down the Aztec empire in 1520. Photograph: Unknown/Corbis
The massacres in Latin America were only a glimpse into what conquistadors and other explores would do in their exploration of the New World. Thinking it would be free for the taking, explorers during the Age of Exploration were disappointed to find other people using the resources they craved. So, through walking back on treaties, generally screwing over indigenous peoples, and massacring whoever opposed them, explorers had taken over the New World to exploit within a few short centuries. In this paper, the legacy of Latin American leaders and societies opposing Cortez and his conquistadors is explored, while steering away from a Euro-centric position of exploitation.
As Cortez marched his army into what is now Latin America, he was looking for three things to make his trip across the Atlantic a profitable one. Conquistadors were on the prowl for gold, glory, and God to bring back to their home nations. Gold and glory were easier to find but putting the fear of God into the indigenous communities was easier said than done. Cortex and his army marched into Tecoac, the home of two indigenous nations with a hostile relationship, and met the Otomis with a massacre. “But they annihilated the Otomis of Tecoac, who were destroyed completely. . . Not just a few but a huge number of them were destroyed.”[1] When the Tlaxacans heard of the slaughter of the Otomis, they called together a council of elites to discuss their next plan of action. (Schartz, Seijas, Victors and Vanquished, 101)
Interestingly enough, instead of preparing for all-out war with the conquistadors, the council elected to befriend the conquistadors in an effort to spare themselves and the common people of their society from torment. The Tlaxacans accomplished this by ‘adopting’ Cortez and his men as their new gods and bringing them gifts of sustenance. This move not only ingratiated the Tlaxacans into the good graces of the conquistadors, something that may prevent a massacre of their own people, but it also allowed the Tlaxacans to demonize other neighboring civilizations like the Cholulans. “The Cholulans are very evil; they are our enemies. They are as strong as the Mexica, and they are the Mexica’s friends. . . [Cholulans] did not meet the Spaniards with weapons of war. It seemed that they were stealthily and treacherously killed because the Tlaxcalas persuaded [the Spaniards] to do it.”[2] By using Cortez’s desire to reach Mexico to acquire riches and fame, the Tlaxcalas helped wipe out another rival civilization in the area, while also putting themselves in the good graces of the conquistadors. It’s important to note that the Tlaxcalas were not evil people with no regard for other societies, rather they were making the best of a bad situation. Imagine a technologically advanced race of soldiers ‘discover’ your land and kill a rival civilization. So instead of risking a massacre of your civilization and innocent civilians, the leaders decide to appease these new ‘gods’ and lead them to massacre your neighbors. While it is atrocious, being in a position of kill or be killed against new and terrifying artillery, led to the Tlaxcalas helping Cortez take Latin America. (Schartz, Seijas, Victors and Vanquished, 102)
As the conquistadors made their way to Mexica, the leader Moteucçoma was prepared to do what the Tlaxcalas did when they were in danger of getting invaded by the conquistadors: they held a meeting and planned to appease them. “On gourd bases they set out different precious flowers, in the midst of the shield flowers and heart flowers stood popcorn flowers. . . made into wreaths for the head. . . And they carried golden necklaces, necklaces with pendants, wide necklaces”.[3] Moteucçoma’s action of providing beautiful necklaces to the conquistadors not only creates a dichotomy between the beauty of flowers and the beast of eventual slaughter by Cortez, but it also symbolizes his devotion to the conquistadors. Moteucçoma offers Cortez and his men seats in power and a haven for them, effectively allying and with the potential of protection, himself with conquistadors. Moteucçoma is using the same tactics the Tlaxacans did when they heard of the slaughter of a neighboring civilization, however, a key difference is that Moteucçoma offers Cortez seats in power in an effort to appease the conquistadors. “. . . you have come to sit on your seat of authority, which I have kept a while for you, where I have been in charge for you.”[4] Not only is Moteucçoma appeasing Cortez by offering flower necklaces as a symbol of peace, but he is also effectively offering his seat of power to Cortez, effectively starting the transition of power. (Schartz, Seijas, Victors and Vanquished, 112-113)
The fiesta started early in the morning when the Spaniards had asked to see how the celebration was performed and after Motechuzoma was taken captive. The celebration consisted of prepping crushed seeds for seedcakes and gathering around an idol, offering it food and gifts. This practice is akin to the celebration of a potlatch, where wealthy individuals would effectively give away their valuables to the people of the community to share the wealth, foster a good community, and eventually accumulate more things to repeat the process. This process is symbolic of the community-centered aspects of indigenous societies, promoting family values and mutual help. That is until the Spaniards decided to throw a massacre instead of a potlatch. “At this moment. . . when the dance was loveliest. . . the Spaniards were seized with an urge to kill the celebrants. They all ran forward, armed as if for battle. . . They ran in among the dancers. . . They attacked the man who was drumming and cut off his arms. Then they cut off his head. . . They attacked all the celebrants, stabling them, spearing them, striking them with their swords.”[5] However, the Aztecs did not take this massacre lying down, rather they assembled their best warriors that were left and mounted a heavy assault on the palace, where the Spaniards had barricaded themselves. “They hurled their javelins with all their strength, and the cloud of missiles spread out over the Spaniards like a yellow cloak.”[6] After the initial barrage of resistance from the Aztecs, Motecuhzoma pleaded with the locals to submit to Cortez and his men on account of their technological superiority, but the Aztecs would not have it, and directly disobeyed him and continued the assault. This symbolizes the breaking of the tradition of listening and following leadership’s orders without a second thought. “They shouted insults at him in their fury, and cried: ‘Who is Motecuhzoma to give us orders? We are no longer his slaves!’ They shouted war cries and fired arrows at the Azotea.”[7] In the end, Motecuhzoma had begged Cortez to hold another fiesta and had put his entire trust in this man he called a God, and once the fiesta started up again, Cortez massacred more Aztecs. (Schartz, Seijas, Victors and Vanquished, 145-148)
While the Aztecs, Tlaxcalas, and other indigenous civilizations had tried to appease the brutes coming over from Spain, Cortez and the conquistadors took their appeasement gifts and peace offerings and crushed their dreams of coexisting with Spaniards. While technological superiority wiped out many indigenous peoples from Latin America, the spread of diseases they were not immune to managed to finish the job. The Tlaxcalas were a strong people who loved their homeland and wanted to keep their rule a little longer, thinking helping iron-clad strangers to wipe out other civilizations would bring peace to their society, but the Spaniards didn’t want to exist within the status quo, instead, they slaughtered everyone for gold, God, and glory.
Works Cited:
Schwartz, S. B., & Seijas, T. (2000). Victors and Vanquished. The Bedford Series in History and Culture, Second Edition.
[1] Schartz, Stuart B., Seijas, Tatiana, Victors and Vanquished: Spanish and Nahua Views of the Fall of the Mexica Empire. (pg. 101)
[2] Schartz, Stuart B., Seijas, Tatiana, Victors and Vanquished: Spanish and Nahua Views of the Fall of the Mexica Empire. (pg. 102)
[3] Schartz, Stuart B., Seijas, Tatiana, Victors and Vanquished: Spanish and Nahua Views of the Fall of the Mexica Empire. (pg. 112)
[4] Schartz, Stuart B., Seijas, Tatiana, Victors and Vanquished: Spanish and Nahua Views of the Fall of the Mexica Empire. (pg. 113)
[5] Schartz, Stuart B., Seijas, Tatiana, Victors and Vanquished: Spanish and Nahua Views of the Fall of the Mexica Empire. (pg. 145)
[6] Schartz, Stuart B., Seijas, Tatiana, Victors and Vanquished: Spanish and Nahua Views of the Fall of the Mexica Empire. (pg. 146)
[7] Schartz, Stuart B., Seijas, Tatiana, Victors and Vanquished: Spanish and Nahua Views of the Fall of the Mexica Empire. (pg. 147)
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