The Spanish have made contact with the Aztecs. A lot of the information we have about the Aztecs comes from Spanish sources and a very biased. However, not all Spanish sources depict the Aztecs as blood thirst cannibals.

Primary Source Analysis (PSA)

Overview: The Spanish have made contact with the Aztecs. A lot of the information we have about the Aztecs comes from Spanish sources and a very biased. However, not all Spanish sources depict the Aztecs as blood thirst cannibals. In the following excerpts from Hernan Cortes, we get a biased glimpse of Aztec society. For the PSA, we are reading both sources and answering the prompt question and using lecture, readings, and video clips to assist with the analysis.

Required Sources:

Hernan Cortes (Doc 1), “The Spaniards Describe Indigenous Religion” from the First Letter to King Charles V of Spain (1519)

Hernan Cortes (Doc 2), “Cortes Describes Tenochtitlan” from the Second Letter to King Charles V of Spain (1520)

Prompt: How did Cortes describe the Mexica’s religion, economy, and capitol (Tenochtitlan)?

Directions:

• Use the lecture, readings, and videos to help you understand the historical context (the time and place of these events) of the primary sources, but base your prompt answer/argument and the bulk of your paper on information found in the required primary sources.

• Make sure to cite the primary sources using in-text citations, (Doc 1) for “The Spaniards describe Indigenous Religion” and (Doc 2) for “Cortes describes Tenochtitlan”.

Consider the following questions when you are writing your essay. Who wrote the primary source and how did their social location (race, class, gender, sexuality, etc.) influence their writing and the argument they made in the primary source. There is always an argument of some kind in primary sources; some are more obvious than others.

• Make sure the paper submission is 2 pages in long (250 word count) and double-spaced.

This is not a research paper, so no work cited page is needed and what is really important is your own analysis of the two primary sources

part two

Primary Source Analysis (PSA) #2

Primary Source Analysis (PSA) #2If you are new to Canvas, review the Canvas Student Guide Assignment Submissions VideoLinks to an external site.PSA #2: Spiritual ConquestOverview: The Spanish with their indigenous allies have defeated the rulership of the Mexica/Aztecs. The indigenous allies who took down the Mexica/Aztecs were put into power as there were more indigenous peoples than Spaniards. Despite the political conquest over the Mexica/Aztecs, the Spaniards now sought to eradicate their religious beliefs. For the PSA, we are reading all of the primary sources, using lecture, readings, and video clips to assist with the analysis, and answering the prompt question. Prompt Question: Prompt: Was the Spiritual Conquest successful and how did indigenous groups respond to it?Instructions:

Use the lecture (like slide #16, which is the Mexica/Aztec reply to the Spaniards regarding their religious practices), readings, and videos to help you understand the historical context (the time and place of these events) of the primary sources, but base your prompt answer/argument and the bulk of your paper on information found in the required primary sources.

• Make sure to cite the primary sources using in-text citations, (Doc 1) for “Francisco de los Angeles, Orders Give to the Twelve” and (Doc 2) for Fray Jeronimo de Mendieta, “The Spiritual Conquest”, and for Santa Muerte, use (Art 1) for the first article and (Art 2) for the second article.

Consider the following questions when you are writing your essay. Who wrote the primary source and how did their social location (race, class, gender, sexuality, etc.) influence their writing and the argument they made in the primary source. There is always an argument of some kind in primary sources; some are more obvious than others.

• Make sure the paper submission is 2 pages in long (250 word count) and double-spaced.

• This is not a research paper, so no work cited page is needed and what is really important is your own analysis of the two primary sources.

Required Primary Sources:

Doc 1: Francisco de los Angeles, Orders Give to the Twelve, 1523

“Wherefore, having knowledge of your good life and proof of your goodness, and having learned and known from your deeds that you are worthy of the banner of the King Of Glory, which you want to raise up in faraway places, and hold up and sustain, flourish and defend even unto death-therefore, confiding in the divine bounty, I send you to convert with words and example the people who do not know Jesus Christ Our Lord, who are held fast in the blindness of idolatry under the yoke of the satanic thrall, who live and dwell in the Indies which are commonly called Yucatan or New Spain or Tierra Firme. … And because you will for a long time endure such great hardships and continuous vigils and cares in carrying out and executing such a great commission and trust [converting the Mexica], do not let them weaken or exhaust your spirit, but rather find it realized and every day more renewed and more complete and fully availing itself of merit. … Go, therefore, my much beloved sons, with the blessing of your father, to carry out what I have commanded you; and armed with the shield of faith and with the breastplate of justice, with the blade of the spirit of salvation, with the helmet and lance of perseverance, struggle with that ancient serpent which seeks and hastens to lord himself over, and gain the victory over, the souls redeemed with the most precious Blood of Christ. And win them for that Christ in such a manner that among all Catholics an increase of faith, hope, and love may result; and to the perfidious infidels [Mexica] a road may be opened for them and pointed out; and the madness of heretical evil may fall apart and come to nothing; and the foolishness of the gentiles [Protestants] may be made manifest to them, and the light of the Catholic faith may shine forth in their hearts. And you shall receive the eternal kingdom.”

Excerpts taken from Colonial Latin America: A Documentary History, 62-64

Doc 2: Fray Jeronimo de Mendieta,“The Spiritual Conquest” (1550s)

“Although on the one hand these servants of God were heartily content at seeing how the people attended their sermons and listened to their doctrine, on the other hand they suspected that the Indians might be attending church merely to comply superficially with the orders given them by their nobles in order to deceive the friars, and that this might not be a sincere movement by the people to seek the remedy for their souls by renouncing the worship of the idols. And the friars persuaded themselves that this was indeed the case, for they were told that, while in public the Indians no longer made their old sacrifices, which usually involved the killing of men, in the secret spaces of the hills and in fearful, remote places, and at night in the temples of the demons which were still standing, they continued to make their sacrifices, and in the temples they performed their old ceremonies, chants, and drunken celebrations…the friars agreed to begin destroying the temples [in 1525], and not to stop until they were all burned to the ground and the idols likewise destroyed and eradicated, even though in doing this they would place themselves in mortal danger…The friars took with them the children and young men they had raised and instructed, the sons of the Indian lords and nobles…and they also received help from the common people who were already converted and wanted to prove that they were confirmed in the faith. And this they ordered done at a time when those who might have opposed them were distracted by other things. And since in most cases they used fire, which burned rapidly, there could be no resistance. And so fell the walls…with voices of praise and shouts of joy from the faithful children, while those who remained outside the faith were frightened and stupefied, and the wings of their hearts (as they say) were broken at seeing their temples and gods brought down. Regarding this heroic exploit, some [conquistadors] wished to argue with the friars by saying, first, that it was a rash deed, for it might anger and incite the Indians who might kill them; and second, that they could not in good conscience do such damage to the buildings they destroyed, and to the clothing and finery and things that decorated the idols and the temples that now burned and were lost…The friars, however, were not afraid, first because they were not afraid of dying for the love of God…But then the infidels [Mexicas], seeing their principal temples laid waste, lost hear in the performance of their idolatry, and from that time forward the way was opened to demolish what remained of idolatry.”

(Excerpt taken from The Mexico Reader, 117-119)

Doc 3:

Santa Muerte

The following articles look at the interesting devotion to Santa Muerte (Saint Death) in Mexico. Though the articles are from the present they contain elements related to the Spiritual Conquest.

*Cult. Now, the term cult comes for the Latin cultus, meaning To Care For. Like Agriculture means Care For The Earth. For academics, we use this term for religious practitioners, so the Cult of Santa Muerte care for the saint by prayers and offerings.

Article 1: BBC News (Art 1)

This give a general overview of the Cult of Santa Muerte, from its historical roots in the worship of “Mictecacihuatl, an Aztec goddess who presided over a festival of death every August.”

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-41804243Links to an external site.

Article 2: Catholic News Agency (Art 2)

This article provides a different opinion of the veneration of Santa Muerte from the current Catholic Church and provides us with understanding of persistence of the Spiritual Conquest.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/34832/have-you-heard-of-saint-death-dont-pray-to-herLinks to an external site.

Requirements: Follow the instructions

1 Hernan Cortes, “Cortes Describes Tenochtitlan” from the ​Second Letter to King Charles V of Spain​ (1520)  In order, most potent Sire, to convey to your Majesty a just conception of the great extent of this noble city of Tenochtitlan, and of the many rare and wonderful objects it contains, of the government and dominions of Moctezuma, the sovereign; of the religious rites and customs that prevail, and the order that exists in this as well as other cities appertaining to his realm: it would require the labor of many accomplished writers, and much time for the completion of the task. I shall not be able to relate an hundredth part of what could be told respecting these matters but I will endeavor to describe, in the best manner in my power, what I have myself seen; and imperfectly as I may succeed in the attempt, I am fully aware that the account will appear so wonderful as to be deemed scarcely worthy of credit; since even when we who have seen these things with our own eyes, are yet so amazed as to be unable to comprehend their reality. But your Majesty may be assured that if there is any fault in my relation, either in regard to the present subject, or to any other matters of which I shall give your Majesty an account, it will arise from too great brevity rather than extravagance or prolixity in the details; and it seems to me but just to my Prince and Sovereign to declare the truth in the clearest manner, without saying anything that would detract from it, or add to it.  Before I beam to describe this great city and the others already mentioned, it may be well for the better understanding of the subject to say something of the configuration of Mexico, in which they are situated, it being the principal seat of Moctezuma’s power. This Province is in the form of a circle, surrounded on all sides by lofty and rugged mountains’; its level surface comprises an area of about seventy leagues in circumference, including two lakes, that overspread nearly the whole valley, being navigated by boats more than fifty leagues round. One of these lakes contains fresh, and the other, which is the larger of the two, salt water. On one side of the lakes, in the middle of the valley, a range of highlands divides them from one another, with the exception of a narrow strait which lies between the highlands and the lofty sierras. This strait is a bow-shot wide, and connects the two lakes; and by this means a trade is carried on between the cities and other settlements on the lakes in canoes without the necessity of traveling by land. As the salt lake rises and falls with its tides like the sea, during the time of high water it pours into the other lake with the rapidity of a powerful stream; and on the other hand, when the tide has ebbed, the water runs from the fresh into the salt lake.  This great city of Tenochtitlan [Mexico] is situated in this salt lake, and from the main land to the denser parts of it, by whichever route one chooses to enter, the distance is two leagues. There are four avenues or entrances to the city, all of which are formed by artificial causeways, two spears’ length in width. The city is as large as Seville or Cordoba; its streets, I speak of the principal ones, are very wide and straight; some of these, and all the inferior ones, are half land and half water, and are navigated by canoes. All the streets at intervals have openings, through which the water flows, 

2 crossing from one street to another; and at these openings, some of which are very wide, there are also very wide bridges, composed of large pieces of timber, of great strength and well put together; on many of these bridges ten horses can go abreast. Foreseeing that if the inhabitants of this city should prove treacherous, they would possess great advantages from the manner in which the city is constructed, since by removing the bridges at the entrances, and abandoning the place, they could leave us to perish by famine without our being able to reach the mainland–as soon as I had entered it, I made great haste to build four brigantines, which were soon finished, and were large enough to take ashore three hundred men and the horses, whenever it should become necessary.  This city has many public squares, in which are situated the markets and other places for buying and selling. There is one square twice as large as that of the city of Salamanca, surrounded by porticoes, where are daily assembled more than sixty thousand souls, engaged in buying, and selling; and where are found all kinds of merchandise that the world affords, embracing the necessaries of life, as for instance articles of food, as well as jewels of gold and silver, lead, brass, copper, tin, precious stones, bones, shells, snails, and feathers. There are also exposed for sale wrought and unwrought stone, bricks burnt and unburnt, timber hewn and unhewn, of different sorts. There is a street for game, where every variety of’ birds found in the country are sold, as fowls, partridges, quails, wild ducks, fly-catchers, widgeons, turtle-doves, pigeons, reed birds, parrots, sparrows, eagles, hawks, owls, and kestrels they sell likewise the skins of some birds of prey, with their feathers, head, beak, and claws. There are also sold rabbits, hares, deer, and little dogs, which are raised for eating and castrated. There is also an herb street, where may be obtained all sorts of roots and medicinal herbs that the country affords. There are apothecaries’ shops, where prepared medicines, liquids, ointments, and plasters are sold; barbers’ shops, where they wash and shave the head; and restaurateurs, that furnish food and drink at a certain price. There is also a class of men like those called in Castile porters, for carrying burdens. Wood and coals are seen in abundance, and braziers of earthenware for burning coals; mats of various kinds for beds, others of a lighter sort for seats, and for balls and bedrooms. There are all kinds of green vegetables, especially onions, leeks, garlic, watercresses, nasturtium, borage, sorrel, artichokes, and golden thistle; fruits also of numerous descriptions, amongst which are cherries and plums, similar to those in Spain; honey and wax from bees, and from the stalks of maize, which are as sweet as the sugar-cane; honey is also extracted from the plant called maguey, which is superior to sweet or new wine; from the same plant they extract sugar and wine, which they also sell. Different kinds of cotton thread of all colors in skeins are exposed for sale in one quarter of the market, which has the appearance of the silk-market at Granada, although the former is supplied more abundantly. Painters’ colors, as numerous as can be found in Spain, and as fine shades; deerskins dressed and undressed, dyed different colors; earthenware of a large size and excellent quality; large and small jars, jugs, pots, bricks, and an endless variety of vessels, all made of fine clay, and all or most of them glazed and painted; maize, or Indian corn, in the grain and in the form of bread, preferred in the grain for its flavor to that of the other islands and terra-firma; pâtés of birds and fish; great quantities of fish, fresh, salt, cooked and uncooked ; the eggs of hens, geese, 

3 and of all the other birds I have mentioned, in great abundance, and cakes made of eggs; finally, everything that can be found throughout the whole country is sold in the markets, comprising articles so numerous that to avoid prolixity and because their names are not retained in my memory, or are unknown to me, I shall not attempt to enumerate them. Every kind of merchandise is sold in a particular street or quarter assigned to it exclusively, and this is the best order is preserved. They sell everything by number or measure; at least so far we have not observed them to sell anything by weight. There is a building in the great square that is used as an audience house, where ten or twelve persons, who are magistrates, sit and decide all controversies that arise in the market, and order delinquents to be punished. In the same square there are other persons who go constantly about among the people observing what is sold, and the measures used in selling; and they have been seen to break measures that were not true.                       Cortés, Hernán. ​Cartas y relaciones de Hernan Cortés al emperador Carlos V​. Edited by Pascual de Gayangos. Paris: A. Chaix, 1866. Microfilm. ​Second Letter, 110–14  https://www.historians.org/teaching-and-learning/teaching-resources-for-historians/teaching-and-learning-in-the-digital-age/the-history-of-the-americas/the-conquest-of-mexico/letters-from-hernan-cortes 

Hernan Cortes, “The Spaniards Describe Indigenous Religion” from the ​First Letter to King Charles V of Spain​ (1519)  Everyday, before they undertake any work, they burn incense in the said mosques [temples] and sometimes they sacrifice their own persons, some hacking the body with knives; and they offer up to their idols all the blood which flows, sprinkling it on all sides of those mosques, at other times throwing it up towards the heavens, and practicing many other kinds of ceremonies, so that they undertake nothing without first offering sacrifice there.  They have another custom, horrible, and abominable, and deserving punishment, and which we have never before seen in any other place, and it is this, that, as often as they have anything to ask of their idols, in order that their petition may be more acceptable, they take many boys or girls, and even grown men and women, and in the presence of those idols they open their breasts, while they are alive, and take out the hearts and entrails, and burn the said entrails and hearts before the idols, offering that smoke in sacrifice to them. Some of us who have seen this say that it is the most terrible and frightful thing to behold that has ever been seen. So frequently, and so often do these Indians do this, according to our information, and partly by what we have seen in the short time we are in this country, that no year passes in which they do not kill and sacrifice fifty souls in each mosque; and this is practiced, and held as customary, from the Isle of Cozumel to the country in which we are now settled. Your Majesties may rest assured that, according to the size of the land, which to us seems very considerable, and the many mosques which they have, there is no year, as far as we have until now discovered and seen, when they do not kill and sacrifice in this manner some three or four thousand souls. Now let Your Royal Highnesses consider if they ought not to prevent so great an evil and crime, and certainly God, Our Lord, will be well pleased, if, through the command of Your Royal Highnesses, these peoples should be initiated and instructed in our Very Holy Catholic Faith . . .        Cortés, Hernán. ​Cartas y relaciones de Hernan Cortés al emperador Carlos V​. Edited by Pascual de Gayangos. Paris: A. Chaix, 1866. Microfilm. ​First Letter​, Part 2.  https://www.historians.org/teaching-and-learning/teaching-resources-for-historians/teaching-and-learning-in-the-digital-age/the-history-of-the-americas/the-conquest-of-mexico/letters-from-hernan-cortes  

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