Hey guys, Please read the following Letter from an Aztec to his sons. Then please answer the following questions:
1. In this letter an Aztec calls for his sons to accept Spanish Hegemony. Why?
2. How does the author of this letter view the Spanish overlords (encomenderos)?
3. How does the author think that the Native Aztecs may survive in the Spanish Empire? How will this method of survival impact Aztec culture and society?
Excerpted from:
http://www.ambergriscaye.com/pages/mayan/aztec.html (77 of 88)11/18/2006 2:08:38 PM
My beloved children, today on the second day of Toxcati [one of the 20-days "months"] of 15 3 1, on the day that belongs o the one ... true God, who is in heaven and on the earth and everywhere in the world; ... know that everywhere the lords who are in charge of the people are very sad because of what ... the white men of Castile have done and are still doing ....
It is obvious how they punish the revered lords of the towns, those who were in charge of the people, who had the rod [symbol of authority]; it is clear how they are put in prison, because the men of Castile are not satisfied with what they are given, and [they] do not surrender their gold nor their precious stones. It is well known how they jeer at our revered women and daughters.
They are not quiet, except solely with gold and precious stones. They make fun of the wives of those who ruled. They are not quiet but when they burn the others, as they burned alive the greatly revered lord of Michoacan, the great Caltzontzin. Thus they behaved with
other great lords who were in charge, who ruled there in Xalapan, TlaxcaIan, Tecuantepec, Oaxyacac, and [other] towns and chiefdoms where the envious, gold-hungry Christians also entered.... How much blood was shed! It was our fathers' blood! And what for? Why was it done? Learn it once and for all: because they want to impose themselves upon us, because they are utterly gold hungry, voracious of what belongs to others: our chiefdoms, our revered women and daughters, and our lands.
It is known that the Castilian Cortes, the recently named Marques del Valle, was authorized, there in Castile, to come to distribute our lands. Thus it is said ... that secretly the lord Marques will come to take our lands, take possession of ourselves and establish new towns. And where will they throw us? Where will they place us? A very great sadness afflicts us. What will we do, my sons?
Still my heart recovers. I [i.e., the supposed founder of the city] remember, I will establish a town here ... on the slopes of Axochco mountain, in Xaltipac [On the Sand's Surface]. Because from down there to here is the place of the men of Axochco. From down there on, this land is ours, it was left to us by our grandfathers, it was their property since ancient times.
I remember, I will establish a little temple where we will place the new god that the men from Castile have given us. Truly this new god wants us to worship him. What will we do, my sons? Let us receive the water on our heads [be baptized], let us give ourselves to the men of Castile, perhaps in this way they will not kill us.
Let us remain here, Do not trespass [by] going on another's land, perhaps in this way they will not kill us. Let us follow them; thus, perhaps we will awaken their compassion. It will be good if we surrender entirely to them. Oh, that the true god who resides in heaven will help us [coexist] close to the men of Castile. And in order that they will not kill us, we will not claim all our lands. We will reduce in length the extension of our lands, and that which remains, our fathers will defend. Now I declare that, in order for them not to kill us.... we accept to have water poured on our heads, that we worship the new god, as I declare he is the same as the one we had.
Now I reduce in length our lands. Thus it will be. Their limits will begin in the direction from which the sun rises and continue ... [he mentions each of the limits].
I presume that for this small piece of land they will not kill us. It does not matter that it was much larger. This is my decision because I do not want my sons to be killed. Therefore, we will work only this little piece Of land, and thus our sons will do so. Let us hope in this manner they will not kill us ...
