MMW 13 Lecture 12: lecture 12
19 May 2018
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Outline Lecture Twelve—Spanish Conquest of the Americas
I) A Miraculous Conquest?
a) Conventional Emphasis Regarding the Conquest
- Aztec empires
- Tended to give conquests somewhat of a miraculous air
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Cortes → how did he conquer the inca empire
- A lot more factors than just superstition
i) How could a few hundred conquistadors topple well-established
empires?
(1) Fatalism of Moctezuma
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Overplay of view of aztec leadership → superstitious
- Key theme: Ethnocentric approach to history - casting non-
western person/view as a passive object to be acted upon by
european agents
(2) Emphasis on pivotal role of Malinche (Dona Marina)
- Providing with useful, local information
-
Role of malinche → eurocentric perspective
- Effective negotiation on behalf of cortez and spaniards
- Revered as the “mother” of the first generation of mestizos
- Give birth to first mestizos offspring (mix spanish and
indigenous)
ii) Assigning conquests of the Americas an aura of miraculous
providence
- Sense of inevitability that was part of manifest destiny, europeans
desire to conquer
-
Need to look at more complex, contingent factors that resulted in the
conquest → not a pre-destined event
- *usually how Europeans view their conquests/expansion - idea
that god, a divine providence was behind it all*
II) Contingent Factors Behind the Spanish Conquest of the Aztecs
a) Aztec Decline by early 1500s
i) Aztec empire’s much-despised tributary system
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Different from China’s → sought to extract as much wealth as possible
from Aztec neighbors using intimidation and manipulation
(1) Maintain political authority through religious spectacles
- Blood sacrifices in particular
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Not just about pleasing the gods, but also about demonstration
of Aztec power → made sure all lords of other neighboring
tributary states were present to witness the spectacle
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Document Summary
Outline lecture twelve spanish conquest of the americas: a miraculous conquest, conventional emphasis regarding the conquest. Tended to give conquests somewhat of a miraculous air. Cortes how did he conquer the inca empire. A lot more factors than just superstition: how could a few hundred conquistadors topple well-established empires? (1) fatalism of moctezuma. Overplay of view of aztec leadership superstitious. Key theme: ethnocentric approach to history - casting non- western person/view as a passive object to be acted upon by european agents (2) emphasis on pivotal role of malinche (dona marina) Effective negotiation on behalf of cortez and spaniards. Revered as the mother of the first generation of mestizos. Give birth to first mestizos offspring (mix spanish and: assigning conquests of the americas an aura of miraculous indigenous) providence. Sense of inevitability that was part of manifest destiny, europeans desire to conquer. Need to look at more complex, contingent factors that resulted in the conquest not a pre-destined event.
