When Atahualpa, the ruler of the Inca, was captured by the Spanish, he cleverly thought of a way in which he could be spared. This plan included paying an enormous ransom to the Spanish and they instantly agree. Yet, when he was later executed by the Spaniards, who swore he would be safe. It upset most of Atahualpa’s people and led a number of his wives to hang themselves. The extract from The Discovery and Conquest of Peru by Pedro de Cieza de León indicates not only the challenges that faced native political leaders but also the influence they had on their people and the Spanish. This theme also frequently appears in Bernal Diaz’s book The Conquest of New Spain when we see how Montezuma deals with the Spanish and how he is treated as a political …show more content…
When he was captured, he was treated well. Pizarro allowed him to have his wives and his servants with him. He was overall, treated appropriately which contrasts how Montezuma was treated in Diaz’s text. Throughout his capture, he assured Pizarro that he would not start a war first. Showing his cleverness and ingenuity as he is building a rapport and trusting in his ally. His confidence demonstrates that he is loyal and respectful which is a perfect example of what makes a skilled leader. Contrasting Cieza de Leon’s view of Pizarro as one who breaks his word; portraying him as a liar and a disrespectful person. Whilst Atahualpa does influence and has an effect on his people, there will repeatedly be deceit among their groups. For instance, the betrayal of the fellow translator, Felipillo indicates that possibly not all individuals were loyal and persuaded to their own people of origin and their emperor. In fact, Felipillo’s actions and deceit play a crucial part in the execution of the emperor which highlights this sense of unfaithfulness towards his own
However, as illustrated by Walker, the colonial rulers would in turn batter the natives with their alternative goals and ideas for the future of Lima. Finally, the author reconstructs the upheaval of Lima during its’ reconstruction and their forced and struggled relationship with the Spanish crown that ultimately led to rebellions and retaliations by the Afro-Peruvians and Indians. To begin with, it is imperative to understand the premise and dialogue of the book. Walker divides Shaky Colonialism into eight chapters. These chapters detail the inhabitants’ perceptions, struggles, efforts, etc. through the eyes and ideas of Walker.
He attempted this primarily through his portrayal of Montezuma’s system of governance as brutal and is people as disloyal to him. He described the apparent willingness of the peoples he encountered to abandon the Aztecs and swear allegiance to the King of Spain, “Although they were subjects of Montezuma … they had been reduced to that condition by force …and when they had obtained through me some knowledge of your Highness … they declared their desire to become vassals of your Majesty, and to form an alliance with me”(Second Letter, 38–39). Cortés justified his conquest further through his proclamation to the his king that he was acting in defense of these newly acquired vassals. Cortés wrote that Montezuma subjected the local people to violent and tyrannical repression and, “took from them their sons to be slain and offered as sacrifices to his idols”(Second Letter,
She discusses about a historical text that “has a few points in common with baseball cards” (318), in which it was published by Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala. The manuscript contains a mixture of Quechua and Spanish, and is addressed to King Philip III of Spain. Guaman Poma’s letter is split into two parts: the first of which is called Nueva coronica, “New Chronicle,” and serves as “the main writing apparatus through which the Spanish presented their American conquests to themselves” (319). This first half of the text introduces one distinctive phenomenon of the contact zone: the autoethnographic text, in which it involves collaborations with people from different social and intellectual backgrounds “to create self-representations intended to intervene in metropolitan modes of understanding” (320). “New Chronicle” rewrites the Christian history and the Spanish conquest to paint a new picture of the world, where the Andean people lie in the center, not the Europeans. At the end of the first half, Guaman Poma argues that there should have been a peaceful encounter between the Spanish and the Inca, thereby forming a potential for benefiting both parties, not just one. Finishing explaining Guaman Poma’s letter, Pratt quickly connects his letter to the contact zone, making an argument that the art of the contact zone illustrates a picture of the oppressors, the Europeans, from the oppressed, the Andeans’,
The perspective of another society is always subjective, especially when two completely different cultures interact for the first time. In Bernal Diaz del Castillo’s The History of the Conquest of New Spain, the first hand account illustrates a barbaric and pagan society where sacrifices are pervasive in everyday life. However, David Carrasco’s essays titled “The Exaggeration of Human Sacrifice” and “Human Sacrifice / Debt Payments from the Aztec Point of View” shed a significant amount of insight into the religious roles that human sacrifice played in Aztec society rather than the cruel and barbaric connotations which Díaz heavily implied. Based on the readings of Bernal Diaz del Castillo, Carrasco’s essays offered an outside perspective
During the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church was the dominant force in Western civilization. As the Dark Ages came to a close, the monarchies of Europe began to consolidate power; providing an alternative power base. With the Protestant Reformation came another blow to the influence of the Church. Spain, the forerunner in the Age of Discovery, was a fervently Catholic country. During the 16th century, the monarchy combined the forces of "cross and crown" in its imperial policy; much to the dismay and ultimate destruction of the indigenous peoples of the New World. Through an examination of Aztec polytheism and the Catholicism of the conquistadors, comes the central role of religion in the successful conquest of New Spain.
The Black Legend and White Legend: Relationship Between the Spanish and Indians in the New World
Two conflicts during this time are seen as significant towards this battle between the interests of the Natives in the Americas. One of which was between two men: Bartolomé Las Casas and Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda. Las Casas defends t...
A little about Montezuma: Montezuma was the fifth and last king of the Aztec empire before the Spanish in early 16 C.E. He was born on 1466 C.E and died at 1520 C.E.
Little is known about Pedro de Cieza de Leon’s youth. Historians have discovered that Pedro de Cieza de Leon was a Spaniard, a conquistador, and a writer of Peru’s history. Pedro de Cieza de Leon was not well educated and had only the most basic education from his local school parish (Atlantis). Although he did not have a superior education, his four part book is reliable because he wrote about what he observed as a conquistador. This document is full of interesting information for the reader to discover the Inca’s way of living.
“The Conquest of New Spain” is the first hand account of Bernal Diaz (translated by J.M. Cohen) who writes about his personal accounts of the conquest of Mexico by himself and other conquistadors beginning in 1517. Unlike other authors who wrote about their first hand accounts, Diaz offers a more positive outlook of the conquest and the conquistadors motives as they moved through mainland Mexico. The beginning chapters go into detail about the expeditions of some Spanish conquistadors such as Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba, Juan de Grijalva and Hernando Cotes. This book, though, focuses mainly on Diaz’s travels with Hernando Cortes. Bernal Diaz’s uses the idea of the “Just War Theory” as his argument for why the conquests were justifiable
In 1504, Cortés a Spanish Conquistador came to the new world in search of a wealthy kingdom. Within a few years Montezuma the emperor of this kingdom heard about these men and believed them to be part of a prophecy, thus he invited Cortes and his men to a feast. When Cortés arrived Montezuma gave a long speech to show how pleased he was at Cortés’s arrival, Cortés replied “Let Moteucçoma (Montezuma) be at ease, let him not be afraid, for we greatly esteem him”. Cortés and his men gave the impression that they were in awe of meeting Montezuma. This feeling changed as soon as the men reached the palace when they took Montezuma hostage and kept watch over him. What the Conquistadores desired became evident when they began interrogating Montezuma. In an account of a Native Mexican, it was said that “they greatly prodded him, they eagerly sought gold as a thing of esteem.” They had no respect for these people. All they were after was the gold that was...
Before the 15th century, the Indians in the Americas were not connected with the world and would remain that way until Columbus's exploration. In the beginning of 15th century, the Aztecs were the dominant group in Mesoamerica leaded by Montezuma, the last leader, before the Spanish conquest. In 1519, Hernan Cortez led the Spanish mission to explore and conquer the New World. This paper will compare three primary sources about this event. First, an informing letter sent from Cortez to King Charles V, the king of Spain. Second, the Broken Spears which is an Indian recollection about the conquest of Mexico. Lastly, Bernal Diaz’s (one of Cortez’s men) account was written by him to share his experience with Aztec civilization. Moreover, this paper will show the credibility of Diaz’s account compared to the other sources because the objectivity of his tone, written after a while of the event, and the author’s great experience and his independent purpose of the source.
The history of the Western hemisphere is full of war and conquest. One of the most significant and defining of those conquests is the downfall of the Mexica/Aztec Empire. While there are many other events to choose from, this one stands out since it was one over one of the largest empires in Central America. It is also important to look at because of the immense cultural impact it had. The story of this takeover reads like a movie script, a small band of Spaniards single handedly takes down the most powerful empire in Central America. It was an epic battle, which unfortunately led to the destruction of a magnificent culture. As in any major historical event there are many underlying themes and storylines that come together to make the event happen. The Spanish conquest of the Aztec is no different. Three major themes are seen in this struggle. One of them is the incredible advantage that the Spaniards technology gave them over the Aztecs. A second major theme is the greed that fueled the conquests in the New World. The last major theme was the effect of the political divisions and rivalries within Montezuma’s Central American Kingdom. As this historical event progressed each one of these themes began to intertwine until they became an almost unstoppable force.
The author argues that the Spanish were completely at fault for the total destruction of the Aztec Empire. In Broken spears, the author explains how many factors other than Spanish power contributed to the downfall of the Aztecs. Not only did the Spanish have many advantages over the Aztecs, but also they also exploited them and took advantage of the cultural difference. The main key aspects to the Spanish victory, is that the Spanish were viewed as gods at first because of their appearance, the Aztecs welcomed the Spanish with gifts and festivities, which showed the Spanish had total control of people. The Aztecs also held a ritual ceremony for the arrival of the “god” that included a human sacrifice, which was seen by the Spanish as a disgusting act, this trigged Spanish hatred for the Aztecs. When the Spanish saw the resources that the Aztecs had, they quickly started taking advantage of the Aztecs weaknesses. The Spanish had more power; they were better equipped than the Aztecs and more advanced. The Aztecs’ leader Montecuhzoma was a weak leader, he was more of a coward, more concerned with his well being and safety than the safety of his people and kingdom so he quickly surrendered under pressure. The Spanish used surrounding enemy tribes to take over the Aztec lands, then began to massacre men, women and children. When the Aztec became angry and started to fight back, they were quickly wrecked by the diseases the Spanish ...
Life in Mexico was, before the Revolution, defined by the figure of the patron that held all of power in a certain area. Juan Preciado, who was born in an urban city outside of Comala, “came to Comala because [he] had been told that [his] father, a man named Pedro Paramo lived there” (1). He initially was unaware of the general dislike that his father was subjected to in that area of Mexico. Pedro was regarded as “[l]iving bile” (1) by the people that still inhabited Comala, a classification that Juan did not expect. This reveals that it was not known by those outside of the patron’s dominion of the cruel abuse that they levied upon their people. Pedro Paramo held...