Additionally, the cultural divide meant signs didn't transfer as well between the Spaniards and the "Indians." The language divide provided a barrier so that different cultural expressions didn't transfer, meaning the "Indians" didn't understand the Spaniards intentions to conquer them. The Aztecs were also already oppressive of the "Indians" in the region, so the Spaniards were actually first seen "as a lesser evil" (58). It wasn't recognized that the Spaniards were different and actually worse than the Aztecs because the signs simply didn't translate.
Montezuma's actions were also likely a result of the cultural divide. We can't be sure exactly what was going on in his head and what his reasoning of his actions were, but it's clear that it didn't really occur to him to engage with the Spaniards in discussions. Montezuma was simply following Aztec culture by remaining unseen and containing information about the Spaniards. If the signs were different and he had engaged with them it is possible for there to have been less bloodshed. The language barrier also plays in the Aztecs' interaction with the Spaniards as they have multiple translators, but still don't fully understand each other because of the differing cultures. The Aztecs' language very much centered around signs, so it was hard to translate the actions and intentions of the Spaniards because they did not have the same understanding of signs.
It is clear that the importance of signs in Aztec and "Indian" culture did not allow for ample interpretation of the Spaniards presence and intentions, which certainly contributed to their downfall.
Your point that the Spaniards were seen as a lesser evil of sorts was a well supported one and very thought provoking! As for the cultural/language barriers between the Aztecs and Spaniards, I agree that these things played a large roll in the Spaniards' success, but would you say that any of these misleading "signs" were intentionally made ambiguous, confusing, etc by the Spaniards in order to be more successful?
ReplyDeleteI think it's possible that the "signs" potentially were made more confusing by the Spaniards, like in the example of them stealing the moon, but I think generally it was more situational and simply a lack of translation.
DeleteI think the concept of signs is interesting when examined by someone who may not believe in a spiritual realm. It seems like the tampered faith (their inability to properly focus on and acknowledge their own beliefs during the perilous time of the Spaniard invasion) of the Native Americans was a huge contributor to their demise. Would you say the same could be said and applied to our current world today?
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