Cortez.

This is coolbert:

Many historians marvel at the way the Spanish conquistadores conquered much of the new world. How a very small number of men were able to overcome and conquer and totally subjugate very large nations of American Indians, such as the Aztec and the Inca. Indian nations that were sophisticated and warlike themselves.

These historians quite often state that six hundred [600] Spaniards under Cortez conquered all of the Aztec nation.

This is erroneous.

There were six hundred Spaniards present under the command of Cortez. Yes, this is true.

But what is not mentioned is that Cortez was able to make alliances with other Indian nations that were rivals or vassals of the Aztec. These other Indian nations had big time grudges against their militaristic overlords, and did ally themselves with Cortez. The nucleus of Cortez's army that defeated the Aztec was his six hundred Spaniards, but he was backed up by Indian armies that were in the hundreds of thousands. Those Indian armies were at the command of Cortez in his battles against the Aztec, and did his biding.

What is perhaps even more important is that the minds of the Aztecs were pre-conditioned to what was happening to them. Their myths and legends, strongly believed, only conditioned them to think that what was happening to them [the defeat by Cortez] was all pre-ordained. What was happening was supposed to happen!! The Aztec legends and myths all told them that once every fifty two years, on a certain specific day in that year, a light skinned man dressed in black, with a beard, would come ashore from a cloud floating on the ocean. This would be the god who would return to reestablish his rule.

"They [historians] have even suggested that the legends that surround Quetzalcoatl aided the demise of the Aztec Empire by making the Spanish conqueror Hernando Cortez appear to be the returning god."

"The Aztecs saw Topiltzin [the human like incarnation of Quetzalcoatl] as man-god, almost in the manner of a Hercules, not quite a god but much more than a man." [demi-god]

"He is also depicted as being fair skinned and having a beard, supposedly to enhance his appearance of wisdom and age (Berdan 129)."

"The most common account presents Quetzalcoatl in human form and as a holy priest who comes down from his heavenly abode to give the Aztec people a new religion." [this Cortez did].

"the man god said farewell to his followers, prophesying that he would return on a year named as that one was, Ce Acatl, to reclaim his rule." [the demi-god floated away on a raft of serpents. Serpents represent the flowing nature of the wind. A wind powered craft]

"Cortez had no idea what his arrival meant to the Aztec people. All he knew was that he had an advantage that he could exploit, and did so to the best of his ability."

"In Montezuma’s own words "one cannot escape what must happen" (Gruzinski 30)."

"The magicians answered: "What can we say? The future has already been determined and decreed in heaven, and Motecuhzoma will behold and suffer a great mystery which must come to pass in his land. If our king wishes to know more about it, he will know soon enough, for it comes swiftly. This is what we predict, since he demands that we speak, and since it must surely take place, he can only wait for it."


The Apparition of Tezcatlipoca

"But then there was another series of envoys: magicians, wizards and priests. They also left the city and went out to meet the strangers, but they were completely helpless: they could not blind their eyes or overcome them in any way.

They even failed to meet and speak with the "gods," because a certain drunkard blundered across their path. He used the gestures that are used by the people of Chalco, and he was dressed like a Chalca, with eight cords of couch-grass across his breast. He seemed to be very drunk; he feigned drunkenness; he pretended to be a drunkard. [the envoys realized this was an apparition from the gods].

"Why have you come here? It is useless. Mexico will be destroyed! Mexico will be left in ruins!" He said: "Go back, go back! Turn your eyes toward the city. What was fated to happen has already taken place!

They looked in the direction of Tenochtitlan. The temples were in flames, and so were the communal halls, the religious schools and all the houses. It was as if a great battle were raging in the city.

When the magicians saw this, they lost heart. They could not speak clearly, but talked as if they were drunk: "It was not proper for us to have seen this vision. Motecuhzoma himself should have beheld it! This was not a mere mortal. This was the young Tezcathpoca! "

Suddenly the god disappeared, and they saw him no longer."


This stuff goes and on and on.

And this legend was perfectly fulfilled! Cortez came ashore at Vera Cruz in that fifty second year on the exact day, dressed in black [he was only dressed in black as it was Good Friday], from his cloud floating on the ocean, [a sailing ship]. And of course, Cortez wore a full beard. All the elements of the myth and legend were fulfilled!!

And we all know the rest of the story. The Aztec did fight valiantly and bravely, but were overcome and vanquished. What part did this mental pre-conditioning play in the defeat? Hard to say. But it is more than amazing that all the parts of the Aztec legend and myth were fulfilled, and fulfilled by persons did not even have an inkling as to what was going on. [Cortez was not aware of what legend or myth he was fulfilling].

coolbert.