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Broken Spears Q&A and The Summary of the Book

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Date
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Broken Spears Q&A and The Summary of the Book

Question 1

The book Broken Spears largely portrays a comprehensive idea of how the conquest of

Mexico began. According to the book, the conquest of Mexico began with an expedition to

search for gold in modern-day Mexico by the Spanish troops leads by Hernando Cortes. Due to

the indigenous people believe that Cortes was Quetzalcoatl, a principal deity of the Aztecs and

Toltecs who they believed was the creator of mankind and the world, this myth made it easy for

Cortes to make his way from Veracruz on the Mexican Gulf Coast to the Tenochtitlan which was

Aztec's stunningly beautiful capital located in Lake Texcoco. Personally, I would relate the

contradictions arising in the description of the key events to the pre-Hispanic writing and

calendars, the indigenous literature, and the pronunciation of the Nahuatl words. For instance,

they had two distinct calendrers, one with 18 months of 20days each and the other calendar had

20 months of 13days each, which might have contributed to the contradictions (ed Leon-Portilla,

1992). In addition, the Spanish burned the majority of the pre-conquest codices, resulting in

different ideas surrounding the description of the key events.

Question 2

Notably, the first omen to be witnessed by the Aztec people appeared in the eastern sky

ten years before Cortes and the Spaniards' arrival. It was a fearful light that seemed to bleed fire.

The second omen was the destruction of the Huitzilopochtli's temple by fire. Huitzilopochtli was

the god of war. The omens' interpretation was done by Diego Munoz, who was a member of the

Tlaxcala nobility, and he convinces the people that their world was coming to an end. The omens
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portrayed Aztecs as keen observers of the sky, and they believed what the it portrayed. In

addition, they believed in false gods (ed Leon-Portilla, 1992).

Question 3

According to Broken Spears, the Spaniards arrived in Mexico in 1519 through Mexico's

Gulf Coast. As per the messengers and magicians' report to Motecuhzoma, the Spaniards were

light-skinned, with iron clothing, and armed themselves with swords, and they had a helmet and

a breastplate to protect themselves. They also described their horses as enormous deer. In

addition, they described their food to be testing like sweet cornstalks. Based on the book, the

Aztecs believed that the Spaniards were gods because their appearances matched the mystic

notion which they believed in that Quetzalcoatl, a god who was forced to exile by his brother

Tezcatlipoca, would return with to rule the Aztecs (ed Leon-Portilla, 1992). Therefore, due to the

legends and prophecy's role in their misperceptions, they truly believed that the Spaniards were

gods, and Cortes, who was their leader, was Quetzalcoatl.

Question 4

When Motecuhzoma heard the news that Spaniards were approaching, he was

disheartened, and he lacked the spirit to act. Besides, he had used all means possible to lure

Cortes and his troops from attacking Tenochtitlan and failed. As a result, he chose to use the wait

and see policy which portrayed him as a tragic figure. Besides, he should have rallied his troops

to counteract the Spaniards force. Due to this, we can argue that Motecuhzoma was not a heroic

figure in Mexican history (ed Leon-Portilla, 1992). Perhaps, his action contributed to his death

when Cortes, and his troops entered the city, they captured him. However, some say that the
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Spaniards killed him as they attempted to escape. In contrast, others argue that he died due to

injuries sustained as he tried to address the people to back down.

Question 5

Hernando Cortes was an intelligent and clever person who used situations to his

advantage. In addition, he also presented himself as Quetzalcoatl, the mystics god who the Aztec

people believed would return an aspect that made him rally troops, which helped him defeat the

Aztec Empire (ed Leon-Portilla, 1992). Notably, Cortes' motive was primarily to accumulate as

much treasure as possible for his Spanish Empire. However, despite being viewed as a god,

Cortes had come to Mexico originally to explore.

Question 6

When the Spaniards arrived at the Gulf Coast, Motecuhzoma sends some messengers to

meet them. When they came back to bring the news, he sacrificed two captives as sprinkled the

blood on the messengers as an act of honor because they looked and spoke to the gods. Still

thinking that the Spaniards were gods, he sends other captives to be sacrificed before them.

However, the Spaniards portrayed intense disgust and disliked the captives' sacrifice (ed Leon-

Portilla, 1992).

Question 7

When the Spaniards battled with the Otomies of Tecoac, they swiftly vanquished them.

This is because of their advanced weapons, including swords, cannons, and crossbows (ed Leon-

Portilla, 1992). In addition, the Spaniards used their dogs and horses, which made them more

lethal in battles.
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Question 8

After hearing the Otomi's fate, the Tlaxcaltecas thought it would be wise if they allied

with the Spaniards. Upon the merger, the first target of the newly formed alliance was Cholula, a

city that was a great ally of Tenochtitlan, and they were Tlaxcala's enemies. Therefore, the attack

of Cholula was significant for the Tenochtitlan people. This is because it caused fear and shook

the people's faith in their gods, an aspect that portrayed Cortes and his conquistadors as people

who had embodied the Aztec gods. A key figure in Cortes's success was La Malinche, a Gulf

Coast native who spoke both Maya and Nahuatl. She served as an interpreter for Cortes and his

troops. Notably, she translated Nahuatl, which was the language spoken by the local people, to

Mayan, which was then translated by Jeronimo Aguilar, a Spaniard who fluently spoke in

Mayan, into Spanish (ed Leon-Portilla, 1992).

Question 9

As Cortes and his conquistadors marched towards Mexico's Valley, Motecuhzoma send a

new envoy with gifts including gold, quetzal feathers, and other tokens. However, the chiefs did

not fail to notice the Spaniards lust for gold (ed Leon-Portilla, 1992). That is, the Spaniards had

inflaming greed for gold.

Question 10

Prince Ixtlilxochitl was compelled by the words of Cortes, who spoke persuasively about

Christianity and how he had been sent by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V for the sole

purpose of saving people's souls. Due to his words, this moved Prince Ixtlilxochitl and his

brothers, requesting immediate baptism to become Christians. On the other hand, his mother was

dismayed by her son's decision to convert (ed Leon-Portilla, 1992). The significance of his
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mother's reactions is she foresaw what was coming, that is, the downfall of the empire, and she

knew that the Spaniards were just tricking her son to gain more power as they marched towards

Tenochtitlan.

Question 11

The main reason why Motecuhzoma allowed Cortes to enter Tenochtitlan peacefully is

that he believed that Cortes was the god returning to resume his rightful place on the throne as

foretold by the previous kings and prophets. Besides, Cortes had also assured him that he would

be his friend. Notably, Tenochtitlan had everything Cortes wanted. It had plenty of gold, food,

cooking supplies, and beverages (ed Leon-Portilla, 1992). In addition, the city was well

decorated, surrounded by defensive structures. Tenochtitlan is important because its ruins are

where the New Mexico City is built.

Question 12

The Spaniards attack the Celebrants during the Fiesta dance in the Main Temple was

based on the argument that the Celebrants were performing human sacrifice. The Aztecs, on the

other hand, argued that the main reason for the attack was to rob them of the gold which they

were wearing. However, the attack escalated a full-scale resistance from the Aztecs, who were

furious about the Spaniards' act, forcing the Spaniards to plan an escape from the city. Knowing

that the attacks happened when the Cortes away, when he returned, he was determined to remove

his army out of the city by night (ed Leon-Portilla, 1992). However, their plans were discovered,

and a bloody battle happened along the Tlacopan causeway. During the battle, three-fourths of

the Cortes troops perished. This particular battle's events are remembered as the Night of

Sorrows.
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Question 13

During the 13 months of the Aztec calendar, a plague of smallpox swept through

Tenochtitlan, lasting for 70 days (ed Leon-Portilla, 1992). The majority of people die due to the

disease. The disease had been brought to the island by the Spaniards, and the Tenochtitlan

people's immunity could not withstand the disease.

Question 14

Due to the smallpox plague, Tenochtitlan warriors were weakened and thinned; hence

they could not defend the city. As a result, Cortes saw an opportunity to recapture the city.

However, the Cuauhtémoc, the last ruler of Tenochtitlan and the Aztec Empire, tried to negotiate

with Cortes on the best way to surrender after realizing they could not fight any longer. The

effort, however, resulted in humiliation and torture. He later died of smallpox. Notably, the

Quetzal-Owl costume is a dressing that Cuauhtémoc ordered Opochtzin to wear and climb at the

rooftop to fire a scare arrow to the enemies (ed Leon-Portilla, 1992). If the arrow struck the

enemy, then their gods were still with them; however, if it did not, it meant that the gods had

forsaken them. Eventually, the test failed, and this resulted in their surrender.

Question 15

Notably, the vanquished Aztecs were enslaved by the Spaniards. Besides, Aztecs had

deep emotional wounds for the people's defeats (ed Leon-Portilla, 1992).

Question 16

Nahuatl is the language of the Aztecs people. On the other hand, Quetzalcoatl was the

Aztecs and Toltecs' principal deity; they believed he was the creator of mankind and the world.
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Huitzilopochtli was termed as the god of war and the sun (ed Leon-Portilla, 1992). Lastly,

Tlatelolco was the city where the Aztecs retreated to when they were pushed out of Tenochtitlan

by the Spaniards.

Question 17

Historically, the Aztec account of the Conquest showed how religious beliefs influence

warfare practices between the indigenous people and the developed communities. The account of

the Conquest nature is based on three key aspects: what was lost, won, and why. The struggle

represented how warfare was approached differently by the civilized nations versus the

uncivilized nations (ed Leon-Portilla, 1992). Notably, the Mexican conquest was the beginning

of the expedition to the search for gold on the American mainland.

Broken Spears Summary

The Broken Spears is a book narrated from a third-person perspective. That is, while

reflecting on the writings of the author, it is evident that the narrator's voice is that of an

observer. Based on the book, three main ideas are presented. The first idea is how the

conqueror’s voice helped shed light on the historical perspective of the conquest. That is, history

is always narrated and written by the conquerors (ed Leon-Portilla, 1992). However, the defeated

and the survivors' story is always the same; they faced similar wars and battles. Notably, the

Broken Spears demonstrates how the Aztecs fought against the Spaniards who invaded their land

to steal their treasure. The book's second idea was the role of religion in the daily life and

governing of the empire by the Aztec people (ed Leon-Portilla, 1992). Throughout the book, it

was evident that religion played a fundamental role in their life despite the social class. Besides,
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every phenomenon was subjected to a religious perspective to examine its meaning. Hence, these

perspectives guided the people's beliefs and formed the baseline of their religious practices.

Lastly is how the religion guided their warfare practices. Notably, Aztecs were very

loyal to Huitzilopochtli, who they termed as the god of war. Besides, they offered human

sacrifice to appeal to the gods—however, this one element backfired upon the Spaniards' arrival

(ed Leon-Portilla, 1992). Therefore, while summarizing the book based on the chapters, chapter

one begins as the author explains different omen which the Aztec people believed predicted their

downfall. Notably, the author presented eight key evil omens which had convinced the people

that their world was coming to an end. In the second chapter, Aztec Empire ruler Motecuhzoma

tried to consult the witches and the seers on the omen's meaning, but their answers were

unsatisfying (ed Leon-Portilla, 1992). During the same period, a man reported that he had seen

strange floating mountains on the sea, that is, at the Gulf Coast, and they had light-skinned

people. The news made Motecuhzoma believe that this was a prophesy come true, that is, the

return of the god Quetzalcoatl.

Chapter three elaborates how Motecuhzoma sends five messengers to go to welcome the

strangers. Notably, they presented them with gifts. However, Cortes, the Spanish troops' leader,

received the gifts with mockery. He went ahead to scare the messengers by firing a cannon (ed

Leon-Portilla, 1992). Upon return, the news from the messengers made the king disheartened. In

chapter four, the author depicts how Motecuhzoma used magicians to scare the Spaniards. In

addition, it was evident that Motecuhzoma still thought they were gods, for he ordered several

captives to be sacrificed before them. However, all the acts did not stop the Spaniards from

marching to the mainland, with their activities being explained by the author in chapter five.

Notably, their first battle was with the Otomi of Tecoac, who they trashed severely (ed Leon-
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Portilla, 1992). As a result, Tlaxcala welcomed them, and they led them to attack Cholula, who

supported Tenochtitlan.

As a result, this scared Motecuhzoma, and he decides to send a new envoy to present

more gifts to Cortes activities which are presented in chapter six. However, as the envoy was

going back, they meet a drunken man who foretells about the Empire's future stating that it will

end in ruins. Hearing this news, Motecuhzoma was devastated. In chapter seven, Cortes met

Prince Ixtlilxochitl of Tezcoco, who welcomes them to his town (ed Leon-Portilla, 1992). As a

result, this act forces Motecuhzoma to welcome the Spaniards to Tenochtitlan, their arrival being

described in chapter eight. Notably, Cortes assured Motecuhzoma that they were a friend of the

king. However, this took a twist in chapter nine when the Spaniards decided to attack Celebrants

during the Fiesta dance in the Main Temple. At this time, Motecuhzoma was under guard, and

Cortes was away from the city. The Spaniards' action resulted to want is described in chapter ten

as the Night of Sorrow (ed Leon-Portilla, 1992). This is due to the bloody battles that happened

along the Tlacopan causeway, where the majority of Cortes's army perished as they tried to flee

the city.

In chapter eleven, the Aztecs were starting to rebuild Tenochtitlan under the leadership of

Cuauhtémoc, who was Motecuhzoma's successor. However, a devastating outbreak of smallpox

swept across Tenochtitlan killing many people and weakening the warriors who defended

Tenochtitlan. As a result, this attracted the Spaniards back to Tenochtitlan, with their raid

comprehensively described in chapter twelve of the book (ed Leon-Portilla, 1992). Chapter

thirteen illustrates how the final omen was actualized when the king, Cuauhtémoc, decided to

surrender to the Spaniards, giving them the power and privilege to loot the city. Chapter fourteen
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presents anonymous authors' perspectives of the conquest. In the closing chapter, the author

provides three elegies, revealing the people's deep emotions after the defeat of Mexico.
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Reference

ed Leon-Portilla, M. (1992). The broken spears: The Aztec account of the conquest of Mexico.

Beacon Press.