In 1520, after entering the Aztec capital in Mexico, Spanish conqueror Hernán Cortés wrote a long letter to the king of Spain, Charles V. In this excerpt from that letter, Cortés claims to have successfully convinced the Aztecs to abandon their native religions and embrace the Spanish religion of Christianity.
"I said everything to [the Aztecs] I could to divert them from their idolatries [native religious symbols], and draw them to a knowledge of God our Lord. …[Their leader] and many of the principal citizens remained with me until I had removed the idols, purified the chapels, and placed the [Christian] images in them…. I forbade them sacrificing human beings to their idols as they had been accustomed to do; because, besides being abhorrent in the sight of God, your sacred Majesty [the king of Spain] had prohibited it by law, and commanded to put to death whoever should take the life of another. Thus, from that time, they refrained from the practice, and during the whole period of my abode in that city, they were never seen to kill or sacrifice a human being." What parts of Cortés's letter would be most interesting to a cultural historian?
A cultural historian would likely be interested in multiple parts of this letter. This includes Cortés's description of the native Aztecs' religious practices, his attempts to divert them from their "idolatries" and convert them to Christianity, the Aztec community's reaction to these attempts, the ban on human sacrifice, and the apparent success of this ban as described by Cortés. The historian may also be interested in the reference to Spanish law and how it was applied to the Aztec people, as this provides insight into cross-cultural legal dynamics during the era of Spanish colonization.
A cultural historian would find the following parts of Cortés's letter most interesting:
1. The mention of the Aztecs' idolatries and their abandonment of their native religions: This highlights the significant impact of Spanish colonization on indigenous cultures and the imposition of Christianity on the Aztecs. It provides insights into the religious conversion efforts carried out by the Spanish conquerors.
2. The removal of idols, purification of chapels, and placement of Christian images: This sheds light on the physical manifestation of religious conversions and the deliberate transformation of sacred spaces. It indicates the suppression of indigenous religious practices and the substitution of Spanish Christian symbols and rituals.
3. The prohibition of human sacrifice and its connection to the commandment of the king of Spain: This reveals the influence of European laws and proclamations on the actions and practices of the indigenous population. It demonstrates the power dynamics between the Spanish conquerors and the Aztecs, as well as the attempts to establish Spanish colonial authority and control over Aztec religious traditions.
4. The observation of the absence of human sacrifice during Cortés's stay in the city: This provides evidence of the short-term impact of Spanish presence on religious practices. It raises questions about the motivations and extent of the Aztec's religious shifts, whether it was genuine conversion or an adaptation to the immediate circumstances of Spanish rule.
Overall, these excerpts from Cortés's letter offer valuable insights into the complex process of religious and cultural transformation during the early period of Spanish conquest in Mexico.