From Conquest to Culture: The Aztecs and Catholicism

In history, when two cultures meet, both are changed forever, especially in the case of conquest. Conquest is defined as the act of acquiring another state by force of arms. While conquests are numerous throughout world history, when a society takes over another, it is common for the resultant culture to be very different from the dominant culture’s way of life.

George Foster, an anthropologist from the University of California, says that two processes create the resultant culture after a conquest: formal processes and informal process. Formal processes are goals set by figures of power in order to alter or improve upon the conquered civilization. Informal processes are personal choices made by the conquered people that help to define their culture, such as traditions, mythology, medicine, or food preferences. (Foster 12). In addition, Foster comments on how a “conquest culture” is formed by the dominant civilization being reduced or stripped down, with many of its rules removed and simplified, then given to the conquered people as an alternative culture. (Foster 13). Because of the informal processes and the simplified dominant culture, the final culture that arises from a conquest, or a conquest culture, is not the same as that of the dominant or conquered civilization, but a unique combination of the two.

One of the clearest examples of a conquest culture is Latin American Catholicism, which originated in the Aztec civilization before the Spanish conquest. The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire began in 1519 and lasted for two years. The In order to achieve such a swift victory over a massive empire, the Spanish allied itself with the numerous rival tribes of the Aztecs in addition to its own men. Throughout the Spanish conqu...

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... Santa Muerte.

It is true that when two civilizations meet, both are changed forever. A better example of this could not be found than in the case of the Aztecs and the Spanish missionaries. Although the missionaries intended to convert all of the Aztecs, a new, completely different style of religion rose from the ashes of the Aztec culture.

The fact that Aztec culture found a way to survive is significant. It shows the powerful resiliency of its followers and their ability to adapt to difficult conditions. From the followers of the Virgin of Guadalupe to those of the Day of the Dead to the worshippers of La Santa Muerte, the existence of the vibrant stories, holidays and traditions reveal that no matter how much a culture is oppressed, the fundamental human need for a collective identity allows conquest cultures to not only survive, but flourish as well.