Bernal Diaz, Conquistador and later chronicler of the expedition, frequently details the gifts (of varying value) offered to his party in The Conquest of New Spain. Cortés decided to take the city and with Malinche’s aide, persuaded Motecuhzoma to become his prisoner. Throughout human history, the vast majority of human interactions occurred between neighbors, relatives, or people that had at least some things in common, such as worshipping the same God. The idea that Cortés was seen as a reincarnation of Quetzalcoatl Topiltzin can be traced to the work of Sahagun, who claimed that the Aztecs supposedly believed this and that's why they didn't take action against Cortés sooner. Before he left, however, he promised to return. Información sobre tu dispositivo y conexión a Internet, incluida tu dirección IP, Actividad de navegación y búsqueda al utilizar sitios web y aplicaciones de Verizon Media. The quest for Aztec gold was at the forefront of the Cortés expedition and the reason why many soldiers willingly joined the campaign. This would obviate or answer awkward questions (which people back in Spain really did ask) about what right the Spaniards had to dispossess the indigenous rulers. The Aztecs were terrified of the horses the Spanish brought with them. So essentially they didn't really have a thunder god, they did associate spanish fire arms with thunder. Among the Classic Maya, the figure of a feathered serpent is illustrated in many stone monuments and murals and is often related to the worship of royal ancestors. Tenochtitlan (the most important Aztec city) was introduced to gods from all over the Aztec world. In this speech, if it ever happened, Motecuhzoma used a form of Aztec politeness that was mistaken by the Spanish for a form of submission. Turned out they were right; as bad as the Spanish were, they weren't as bad as the Aztecs had been. According to the Aztec Legend of the Suns, Quetzalcoatl ruled over the second Sun of Aztec creation. The Azcapotzalco forces were defeated by an alliance of Texcoco, Tenochtitlan (the capital of the Mexica) and several other smaller cities. Cortes did not speak Nahuatl, so he culd not speak directly to Motecuhzoma/Montezuma. YES POINTS His arrival in the Aztec empire in Mexico occured around the same time that was prophesized of Quetzacoatl's return to their land. Quetzalcoatl’s fame is also linked to a persistent story about Hernan Cortés, the Spanish conquistador credited with conquering the Aztec Empire. The Aztecs had inferior weapons, so subduing them was not a huge problem for Cortés. That the Conquistadors were in search of personal wealth is undeniable. Who did the Aztecs think Cortes was when he originally arrived in Tenochtitlan. The legend can be dated back to 1552. The Chilam Balam, a book by Jaguar priests in the Yucatan, speaks of the coming of a white bearded man who is believed to bear the sign of the Almighty God. By around 1400 CE several small empires had formed in the Valley of Mexico and dominant amongst these were Texcoco, capital of the Acholhua region, and Azcapotzalco, capital of the Tepenec. To warn him about the conquest. At that time the great empire of the Mexica—now known as the Aztecs… A persistent myth about the conquistador Hernan Cortés being mistaken for Quetzalcoatl is almost certainly false. When the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés and his men arrived in the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán in 1521, they described witnessing a grisly ceremony. Human sacrifice was an integral part of the Aztec religion—as it was for many other societies in the New World, including the Maya. The problem is that Sahagun's Aztec … So, the conjecture written 50 years later was based upon that quote and some remarks by Cortez to the Spanish Crown as to the naiveté of the Aztecs. Whether by shear luck or by providence, the time of Cortés’ arrival coincided with the prophesied return of the Aztec god, Quetzalcoatl. Following victor… This is marked on the Biblical Timeline with History during 300 AD. The accounts of the conquest are diverse and, at times, contradictory. During the 16th century, Quetzalcoatl – whose name in the Nahuatl language means “feathered serpent” or “plumed serpent”, was one of the principle Aztec deities. Pic 1b: from Tizatlan Codex (Click on image to enlarge) Thereafter, the plot thickens, mainly because of Cortés’s relationship with Malintzin (La Malinche) and with the Tlaxcalans, who hated the Aztecs … Consider the following: 1. Some arguments in favor of Montezuma’s belief that Cortez was the god Quetzalcoatl begin with the god’s promise to return after he died in a pyre or sailed off in a boat traveling east. The real story here is how Cortes, with such a small force of men (regardles of the superior accoutrements of war) conquered the Aztec peoples. Quetzalcoatl pronounced Keh-tzal-coh-WAH-tul and roughly translated as the "Feathered Serpent", the "Plumed Serpent" or the "Quetzal-Feathered Serpent", is the name of an important Mesoamerican deity who was worshiped throughout the region in one form or another for 1,200 years. The earliest example of Quetzalcoatl, or at least a Feathered Serpent god, comes from the Classic period (200–600 CE) city of Teotihuacán, where one of the main temples, the Temple of Quetzalcoatl in the Ciudadela, is decorated with carvings of feathered serpents. Did the Aztec empire actually view the conquistador, Hernan Cortes, as their god Quetzalcoatl? He was one of the most human-loving of the gods in the Aztec pantheon. Did the Aztec empire actually view the conquistador, Hernan Cortes, as their god Quetzalcoatl? Except no one, not even the Spanish, initially suggested there was any case of mistaken identity. Together, they successfully attacked Tenochtitlán and … In his hasty retreat, he was startled by a quail and tripped and broke them (which is why humans come in a range of different sizes), but managed to carry the bones to the paradise of Tamoanchan, where the goddess Cihuacoatl ground them up and placed them in a jade bowl. Nicoletta Maestri holds a Ph.D. in Mesoamerican archaeology with fieldwork experience in Italy, the Near East, and throughout Mesoamerica. These two empires came face to face in 1428 CE with the Tepanec War. At the end of the fourth sun, so it is told, all humanity was drowned, and after the creation of the fifth sun, Quetzalcoatl descended into the underworld (Mictlan) to negotiate with the god of the underworld (Mictlantecuhtli) the return of humanity's bones so the earth could be repopulated. Other scholars suggest that the idea that Cortés and Quetzalcoatl were confused by the Mexica was entirely created by Franciscan friars, and elaborated during the post-Conquest period. Mexico - Mexico - The rise of the Aztecs: The word Azteca is derived from Aztlán (variously translated as “White Land,” “Land of White Herons,” or “Place of Herons”), where, according to Aztec tradition, their people originated, somewhere in the northwestern region of Mexico. The Aztecs did not believe in Cortez's men being gods at all, though at first some of them, not having seen horses before, thought the horse and its rider were one being. 2. He did neither. At age 14, Cortés was sent to study law at the University of Salamanca, but he was restless and unhappy. The final twist in Quetzalcoatl’s story came with the arrival of the Spanish conquerors, who claimed that Cortés was welcomed as the long-departed Ce Acatl Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl who, in another story, did not kill himself but left on a long voyage over the ocean, promising one day to return. Columbus had set sail hoping to … He was the only son of noble, though not wealthy, parents. If Montezuma believed that he was the 'God' he would have rode out to meet him or welcomed him with aid to the capitol. They sent him food with blood in it, if cortes ate it he would be a god because he eats blood. 3. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our. Quetzalcoatl and the Bones of the Ancestors, Tezcatlipoca: Aztec God of Night and Smoking Mirrors, The Toltecs - Semi-Mythical Legend of the Aztecs, Cempoala: Totonac Capital and Ally of Hernan Cortes, Xipe Totec: Grisly Aztec God of Fertility and Agriculture, Tonatiuh, the Aztec God of the Sun, Fertility and Sacrifice, History of Animal and Plant Domestication, Ph.D., Anthropology, University of California Riverside, M.A., Anthropology, University of California Riverside. ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. As an Aztec deity, he was one of four sons of the creator god Ometeotl, associated with the wind god, and the patron god of arts and knowledge. After his arrival on Hispaniola in 1504 and subsequent participation in the conquest of the island of Cuba, Cortés made a name for himself as a bold and enterprising leader. Cortés did, after all, have to operate within an operational framework not entirely of his own making—one in which a concern for religion and spiritual mission was simply a necessity. Episode #10- Did the Aztecs Think Cortés Was A God? To view Cortés as a Machiavellian manipulator of religion, however, does him injustice. Motecuhzoma did not resist Cortés and thought that he might have been an incarnation of the Aztec God Quetzalcoatl. Yahoo forma parte de Verizon Media. In the end most of the people conquered by the Aztecs rose up and joined Cortés in overthrowing them. Seduced by their religious credulity, the Mexica—“Aztec” was a post-conquest term—were ripe for conquest by their “white gods.”Historians of early Mexico have buried the myth of the “white gods,” but this news hasn’t filtered into general knowledge. Thanks for the A2A. 1. Some 21st- century historians, however, questioned not only whether the Aztecs thought Cortés was a god but whether the legend of Quetzalcóatl was really a part of the Aztecs’ belief system. It was Francisco López de Gómara who first said that the Spaniards conquered Mexico because the indigenous people had seen the conquistadors as gods. In November 1519, Hernán Cortés reached the Aztec Empire. They figured that the Spanish COULDN'T be worse than the Aztecs had been. The Aztecs called their era the time of the 5th Sun—there had been four previous versions of the earth and its people, each ruled by different gods. Extant temples dedicated to the cult of Quetzalcoatl have been identified at many Mesoamerican sites, such as Xochicalco, Teotihuacan, Cholula, Cempoala, Tula, Mayapan, and Chichen Itza. While he had never been to Mexico, López de Gómara was chaplain and secretary to the retired Hernando Cortés, the one who lead the conquistadors. Experts on Mesoamerican religion believe that the Aztec (1325–1521 CE) figure of Quetzalcoatl began with the legend of the pan-Mesoamerican god and blended in a historical Tollan leader, Ce Acatl Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl, who reportedly lived 843–895 CE). Along with this religious mission and the tantalizing lure of undiscovered riches, Hernán Cortés set off to accomplish both. Cortés used his new allies and united them against the Aztecs, who were resented by local groups for the high tributes they exacted. The figure of Quetzalcoatl is represented in many different ways according to different epochs and Mesoamerican cultures. It was the nobility who created the prophecy, a series of omens and signs, and claimed that Motecuhzoma truly believed Cortes to have been Quetzalcoatl. Disease like smallpox (lack of Aztec immunity). A God. (Part II) The story of the war between the Aztec (Mexica) empire and the Spanish conquistadors is one of the most dramatic in world history. In 1519, Hernan Cortes and his greedy band of some 600 conquistadors began their audacious assault on the Mexica (Aztec) Empire.By 1521 the Mexica capital city of Tenochtitlan was in ashes, Emperor Montezuma was dead and the Spanish were firmly in control of what they took to calling "New Spain." The disease killed thousands of Aztecs. He became fascinated with tales of Christopher Columbus' New World explorations. Columbus had landed at San Salvador and explored the West Indies in 1492, when Cortés was a young boy. Numerous circular temples (at Texcoco, Calixtlahuaca, Tlatelolco, and in the Pino Suarez metro station in Mexico City) are dedicated to Quetzalcoatl in the guise of Ecahtl, constructed without corners so the wind could easily blow around them. YES POINTS His arrival in the Aztec empire in Mexico occured around the same time that was prophesized of Quetzacoatl's return to their land. In his human aspect, he is often depicted in dark colors with a red beak, symbolizing Ehecatl, the wind god; and wearing a cut shell as a pendant, symbolizing Venus. (4) According to Document C, why did Spanish missionaries claim that Moctezuma believed Cortés was Quetzacoatl? Religion was incredibly important to the the Aztecs. The idea that Cortés was seen as a reincarnation of Quetzalcoatl Topiltzin can be traced to the work of Sahagun, who claimed that the Aztecs supposedly believed this and that's why they didn't take action against Cortés sooner. When Mictlantecuhtli proved unwilling to give them back, Quetzalcoatl stole the bones. The Spanish had better weapons and armor. Letters to King Charles V. It is during this time that he began writing the second of his five letters to King Charles V. Quetzalcoatl was also the patron god of arts and knowledge. It is thought that Cortés’ arrival coincided with an Aztec prophecy about a white-skinned god arriving from the east, which would explain why Montezuma welcomed Cortés and gave him lavish gifts. The pyramid of Quetzalcoatl (god of the 'feathered serpent') is showing the alternating 'Tlaloc' (left, with goggle eyes, a god of rain, fertility, and water) and feathered serpent (right, with a collar of feathers) heads. In many images, he is depicted wearing a plumed headdress and carrying a plumed shield. They had never seen them before. The problem is that Sahagun's Aztec … The story is that the last emperor Motecuhzoma (sometimes spelled Montezuma or Moctezuma) mistook Cortés for the returning god, based on the supposed resemblance between the Spanish conquistador and the god. But when Montezuma noticed that he wasn't a god because he's … His appearance and personality was This story, detailed in Spanish records, is almost certainly false, but how it arose is a fascinating story itself. During the Terminal Classic or Epiclassic (650–1000 CE) period, the cult of the Feathered Serpent spread dramatically throughout Mesoamerica, including the central Mexico centers of Xochicalco, Cholula, and Cacaxtla. He was a creator god, associated with the wind god (Ehecatl) and the planet Venus. He was greeted as an honored guest, which was cool with him because it meant he'd be able to take the entire civilization quickly and treacherously. Quetzalcoatl (Aztec God) Sailed to the East on a canoe made of serpents and was said to come back to destroy the empire being bearded and have wight skin. Towards the end of the 15th century, Pope Alexander VI decreed that Spain could claim any lands in the New World for itself under the condition that the natives were converted to Christianity. (3) According to Document C, why did Moctezuma tell Cortés that the Aztecs had been expecting him? If gold did not come their way then silver, textiles, jewelry and other treasures were never far from reach. Nor do they they exactly reinforce the general idea that the Aztecs believed Cortés to be a god. The Aztec thought Cortes was a god because Montezuma saw the picture on the stone that is exactly look like the god of the Aztecan. His appearance and personality was Yes, Cortés did attack Tenochtitlán, but he wasn't alone.Cortés had just 1,000 Spanish soldiers, but he joined forces with 100,000 natives, mainly Tlaxcalans, tribal enemies of the Aztecs.. By extraordinary coincidence, Cortés appeared out of the east in that very year. The most famous example of the Mayan Quetzalcoatl cult is reflected in the architectural aspects of Chichén Itzá in the Yucatán Peninsula, where Maya Puuc styles are contrasted with those of the Quetzalcoatl-inspired Toltec. By 1520, a year before the conquest was complete, Europeans were already looking at Aztec art, shipped over the Atlantic. Cortés had heard of the Aztecs and knew that they, and their leader Montezuma II, were a primary force in Mexico. Their empire was composed of bustling cities that were larger, cleaner, and more architecturally sophisticated than most cities in … Potential personal wealth also resided in the p… Cortés even had ship-builders who made boats used in the battle for Tenochtitlan. According to local and colonial legends, the Toltec shaman/king Quetzalcoatl (known as Kukulcan in the Maya language) arrived in the Maya region after having been ousted by political rivals, bringing with him not just a new architectural style but a new set of religious and political practices associated with militarism and human sacrifice. (Part I) Before the Spanish arrived in the early 1500’s, the Aztec, or Mexica, people had built an impressive civilization. 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