The Spanish and the Aztecs

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The Spanish and the Aztecs
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• THE AZTECS

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How Did the History of the Aztec Affect Their
Worldview?

• Aztecs believed they were following the orders of
  their patron god
• They followed his orders and migrated from
  northern Mexico to central Mexico and further
  south
• They believed their god would lead them to the
  land of their destiny
• As the Aztecs moved, they had to adapt and change
  to the other cultures around them and this forced
  them to grow stronger

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• So Aztec history has affected their worldview in
  the following ways
• Religion and their gods have
  always played an important part in how they view
  the world.
• Their migration made them
  stronger as a culture and this gave them
  confidence and strength in how they viewed the
  world around them.

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How Did Aztec Social Systems Reflect Their
Worldview

• Because religion and a sense of strength played a
  strong role in their daily lives, priests, nobles
  and warriors occupied the upper level of Aztec
  society.
• The only ways commoners could move up in class is
  if they joined the military or became priests.
• Education was important for all, as it was a
  means of passing on traditions and religious
  beliefs to all people.

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How Did the Aztec Political System Reflect Their
Worldview

• Because of the importance of religion, the
  emperor held the most powerful position in Aztec
  politics...he was the representative of their
  most important god.
• No one could disobey him. If they did, they were
  disobeying the gods themselves.

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How Did the Aztec Economic System Reflect Their
Worldview

• An important aspect of their economic system was
  based on paying tribute to the emperor. This was
  based on the importance of religion as the
  emperor was considered a representative of the
  gods.
• Tribute was made in the form of agricultural
  goods.
• Therefore the backbone of the Aztec economy was
  farming.

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How Did the Aztecs worldview influence their
choices, decisions and customs?

• All choices, decisions and customs of the Aztecs
  was based on religion and the gods.
• All decisions were based on the omens and the
  power of the gods.

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• THE SPANISH

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How Did the Spanish Worldview lead to their
desire to expand their empire?

• The Spanish believed that the world was theirs to
  take for the glory of Spain. They believed that
  Spanish imperialism was their right.
• They wanted new colonies to gain more wealth.
• They felt it was their duty to convert
  non-Christians to Roman Catholicism.
• They felt they needed a large empire to compete
  with Portugal.

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How did things like technology and disease
contribute to the Spanish dominating the Aztecs

• Technology
• The Spanish had much better technology in the
  form of weapons than the Aztecs did.
• Spanish had muskets, cannons as well as armour to
  use while fighting. The Aztecs simply had bows
  and spears.
• Although not a technology, the Spanish also had
  horses that they rode in on. The Aztecs had never
  seen horses before.

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• Disease
• Along with new technology, the Spanish also
  brought diseases with them that decimated the
  Aztec.
• The Aztecs had no immunity for the new diseases
  as they had never been exposed.
• The diseases that the Spanish brought ended up
  killing thousands of Aztecs.

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• Psychological
• The Spanish also had a psychological advantage
  over the Aztecs.
• The Aztecs thought that the Spanish were gods or
  demons and were also scared of them.
• The Aztecs knew that their gods had vast powers
  and that they surely couldnt defeat the Spanish
  whom they thought were gods.

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How were different Worldviews factors in conflict
between the Spanish and the Aztecs

• Conflict of Religion
• The Aztecs respected and feared the gods, and
  thought that the Spanish leader was a god
  himself. Therefore they treated him with respect
  and open arms.
• The Spanish were on a mission to convert
  non-Christians to Christianity. They saw the
  non-Christian Aztecs as barbarians who needed
  change.
• Conflict of Expanding Empires
• The Aztecs were just starting to expand their
  empire in the only world they knew.
• The Spanish were out to expand their empire
  worldwide and would let nobody stand in their
  way.

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• Conflict of War Tactics
• The Aztecs viewed war differently. They would
  rather negotiate first. If war was to follow,
  there were specific rules that they followed.
  Enemies were not to be killed, rather they were
  to be captured.
• The Spanish believed in killing anyone that
  opposed them in their pursuit of land and money.