This article is part of our larger resource on Aztec civilization. One of their gods was light-skinned with a beard who was … So could someone please tell me!!!!! The Aztec language, Nahuatl, was the dominant language in central Mexico by the mid-1350s. The Spanish were helped by the Tlaxcala, a Mesoamerican civilisation rival of the Aztecs, and other native tribes which allied with them to defeat the Aztecs, especially in the siege of Tenochtitlan because the Spanish falsely promised them territories and a tax-free partnership in the post-conquest rule of Mexico. Why did the Aztecs think the spanish were gods . Relevance? To get a better understanding of how this myth came to permeate both European and Mesoamerican histories of the conquest, we need to examine the works of prominent thinkers in post … When the Spanish arrived in Mexico in the 16th century, the conventional narrative declares that the native Aztecs (properly: the Mexica) mistook the conquistadors for gods. . 1 decade ago. Why is there a need to close of the temporary accounts at the end of the year? Another important god was Quetzalcoatl (feathered snake), the god of learning and civilization. By 1521, the Aztec culture was officially eradicated and a new culture, consisting of a combination of Aztec and Spanish elements, emerged. Aztecs sacrificing to the gods: Codex Tudela, folio 76 (Click on image to enlarge) 1. The most important gods in Aztec culture were Huitzilopochtli (god of war and sun) and Tlaloc (god of rain). According to the Aztecs own accounts, they had sacrificed several thousand people for the consecration of the Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan, sources vary greatly with numbers from 4,000 up to 80,400 people. Except no one, not even the Spanish, initially suggested there was any case of mistaken identity. the aztecs thought the Spanish were gods collecting debt so they gave them gold and silver. Disease like smallpox (lack of Aztec immunity). What are the disadvantages of control account. Xipe Totec (pronounced Shee-peh Toh-tek) … Like other Mesoamerican religions, it also has practices such as human sacrifice in connection with many religious festivals which are in the Aztec calendar. There are a lot of good books and documentaries on the subject. Main Gods Despite worshiping many gods, there were certain gods that the Aztecs … 4. Of course, if the portends and symbols all had pointed to the Spanish being returning gods, the reason for Mexica leaders’ indecision is clear. It was mistaken identity and religious devotion which crippled the Mexica response to invasion. Montezuma, the ruler at that time, believed that the Spanish military leader, Hernán Cortés, was the great god Quetzalcoatl. The prophecy spoke of Quetzalcoatl’s arrival at the same time as the Spanish, and Quetzalcoatl was said to have white skin. Legends say that Aztlan was the first place the Aztecs ever lived. The story was … Doña Marina quickly learned Spanish, and became Cortés's primary interpreter, confidant, consort, cultural translator, and the mother of his first son, Martin. Enguerarrard. It seems the god-myth originated with the Mexica decades after the conquest, trying to make sense of the disaster which had befallen them. They wanted to avert disaster by paying the endless debt. The story was likely an apocryphal invention of the conquered Mexica to recast their defeat as a result of religious symbols, not military failings. By dying as a sacrifice, they honored the gods. The Spanish religion was Catholicism which preaches only one supreme god being our lord Jesus Christ. Then they went from one place to the other wearing on top of their heads a little pot that has never been used for cooking. The name "Aztec" comes from the phrase "people from Aztlan". p. 8. Though the human sacrifice is the most talked about, there were actually many types of sacrifices in the empire. Certainly, it wasn’t the ignorance of foreign threats, oppressive rule which alienated subjects, or Spanish weaponry which undid the Mexica empire. (he was the God of Rain and Water) dropsy, leprosy and rheumatism . how did the aztecs worship their gods? Subscribe here! Between 1519 and 1521, the Spanish conquistador, Hernán Cortés, allied with Tlaxcala and other enemies of the Aztecs. Although due to the abundance in tribes and civilisations around the Mexico and Southern American … Herons '' in the Aztecs thought the Spanish conquistadors or their beautiful capital at.. 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