BarkellWH -> RE: Spanish Village called "Kill the Jews" (Apr. 16 2014 16:54:05)
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I think the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire in Mexico is as interesting for the reactions it elicits today from those who study its history as it is for the encounter it represented at the time it occurred. I would argue that the Spanish have gotten a bad rap, relative to the Aztecs they conquered. In considering the Aztecs (they called themselves "Mexica," thus the name Mexico), it is well to remember they ruled an empire. Within the context of their world, both physical and mental, they were every bit as much an "imperial" power as was Spain after the conquest. The Mexica exacted tribute from the subjects they ruled, and they required thousands of individuals be brought forth from those they ruled (such as the Tlacalla) for the ritual sacrifices they performed almost daily. Within the context of their world, limited though it was, I fail to see that they can claim any sort of "moral superiority" over the Spanish just because the Spanish came a much greater distance across the Atlantic to subject the Mexica (Aztecs) to the very same rule that the Aztecs themselves imposed on their subjects. It has been said that the Aztecs' requirements of tribute and individuals for sacrifice from their subject groups, such as the Tlacalla, cannot be judged by today's standards. The Aztecs, it is said, must be judged by their own cultural lights and the era in which they thrived. I agree with this point of view. We should not impose the values we hold today on the Aztecs of the 15th and 16th centuries. By the same token, however, in order to be consistent, we should not impose the values we hold today on the Spanish of the 15th and 16th centuries either. The Spanish were just as much a product of their culture and era at the time as were the Aztecs. Neither, it seems to me, have a claim to moral superiority over the other. Finally, it should be remembered that the 600 Spaniards who accompanied Cortes to the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan and the conquest of Moctezuma and the Aztecs were augmented by approximately 30,000 Tlacalla who wanted to throw off Aztec rule. In summary, I agree with the idea of accepting cultural relativity and being non-judgmental concerning other societies and cultures such as the Aztecs, but it must be applied equally to those such as the Spanish, who were just as much products of their culture and era. Cheers, Bill
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