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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 6 page overview of Miguel Leon Portilla's 'The Broken Spears : The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico'. Reveals that this book differs from typical accounts of the conquest of Mexico in that it is one of the few accounts which is presented from the aspect of the indigenous peoples who lived there rather than from the perspective of the European marauders who invaded their lands and killed their peoples. Examines the question of why the Spanish were able to conquer the Aztec. Suggests that this accomplishment is not just due to technological superiority but also to Spanish mindset. The Spanish conquered the Aztec by destroying their culture and exposing them to the ravages of disease. No additional sources are listed.
Page Count:
6 pages (~225 words per page)
File: AM2_PPaztec.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
Miguel Leon Portillas "The Broken Spears : The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico" differs from typical accounts of the conquest of Mexico in that
it is one of the few accounts which is presented from the aspect of the indigenous peoples who lived there rather than from the perspective of the European marauders who
invaded their lands and killed their peoples. The Spanish conquest under Cortez was a bloody and heartless affair designed to steal the land and resources of the Aztec people
and to force them into servitude to the Spanish. Portilla bases his book on actual Aztec accounts. He presents them in a chronological order to detail the events
leading up to and following the Spanish conquest using the experiences of those who experienced the conquest first-hand as well as the accounts of their ancestors. Two versions are
typically produced for each incident lending credence to accounts which sometimes vary considerably from the typical perspective of the Spanish.
One of the most interesting aspects of "The Broken Spears" is the fact that the perspectives presented differ so radically from those of the Spanish. Chapter 1 foretells the
arrival of the Spanish using Aztec omens. Chapter 2 provides us with the first impressions of the Spanish presented from Aztec eyes. We recount the Messengers Journeys in
Chapter 2, recall the terror and apathy of Motecuhzoma in Chapter 4, and trace the Spanish march on Tlaxcala and Cholula in Chapter 5.
Through "The Broken Spears" we see that the Aztec had a mixed reaction to the Spanish according to the time and place as well as to
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