The Aztecs: Unscrupulous, Bloodthirsty

Traditional descriptions of the Aztec people portray them as an unscrupulous, bloodthirsty terrible group of warriors that sought to pillage neighboring civilizations and stir up strife with those whom they encountered in their conquest of land. Indeed, “They had a reputation for making trouble by kidnapping women from nearby communities and seizing land already cultivated by others” (Traditions & Encounters, 309). Although the Aztecs were vicious and known to be willing to use any means necessary to build up their empire and add to the land and other resources available for the purpose of sacrifice to the gods that they worshiped, there is also a more woeful, deity-driven side to them that is described in the book Broken Spears.

The

basic premise of the book is to show a side of the Aztecs that is not commonly portrayed in most accounts of the civilization. Although they were known for their conquests in dealing with other people in Mexico at the time, their interactions with the Spaniards proved to be quite catastrophic in terms of the aftermath that occurred for the Aztecs and the interactions also showed just how large of a role religion played in their lives. It is apparent that religion holds importance to the Aztec people as seen by interpretation of the initial natural catastrophe near the beginning of the book: “Ten years before the spaniards first came here, a bad omen appeared in the sky...like a flaming ear of corn, or a fiery signal, or the blaze of daybreak; it seemed to bleed fire, drop by drop, like a wound in the sky...beginning in the year 12-house” 
(Broken Spears, 4). Although such an event would of course be alarming even today, the Aztecs took this a step forward and interpreted this as an omen that something bad was going to happen.
Montezuma of course wanted to provide his people with an answer as to why things had happened, and when his men had found the Spaniards, Montezuma interpreted this as their god Quetzacoatl’s return: “He has appeared!

He has come back! He will come here, to the place of his throne and canopy, for that is what he promised when he departed!” (Broken Spears, 23). Of course, seeing the arrival of the Spaniards as the reappearance of a god meant that Montezuma and his people would be submissive and willing to do anything to appease the god in order to receive their blessing. Sadly, their kindness in the form of gold and other treasures was cruelly rejected by the Spaniards, who not only take what they offer, but they also brutally slaughter many of the Aztecs in their quest of conquering the Aztec empire. Interestingly throughout all of the conflict the Aztecs have with the Spaniards, it appears that they are largely fearful of the Spaniards and only want to make peace with them since they believe they are to be linked to their religion: we will be judged and punished. And however it may be, and whenever it may be, we can do nothing but wait.” (Broken Spears, 55). The Aztecs only fought back due to the necessity of keeping their empire intact and as revenge for the death of Montezuma. This contrasts sharply with the typical cruel image that the Aztecs are given, and is quite ironic because the Aztecs are the ones being conquered in this case. Near the end of the book, a

large sense of sadness can be felt because of the destruction that occurred throughout the Aztec empire. This is told through an epic poem which includes the book’s title: “broken spears lie in the roads; / we have torn our hair in our grief. / the houses are roofless now, and their walls / are red with blood.” (Broken Spears, 137). The broken spears symbolize that although the Aztecs tried fighting back against their supposed gods, they have failed and even the weapons they attempted to use are no longer usable. They have become a sorrowful people and their city lays in ruins because of the actions of the Spaniards.
The Aztecs are often thought to be a fierce civilization of people that was concerned with expansion of their empire and crushing anyone that got in the way of their conquests. Although this may be true in some regards, a side of them that is often not seen is the sadder, confused side that emerged when they dealt with the arrival of the Spaniards. The Aztecs only wanted to appease the Spaniards because of their strong belief in their religion and that the Spaniards were really gods coming back to take their rightful place, but the consequences of the interactions that they had was the destruction of their empire and a sense of fear that they felt throughout the entire encounter. However even though their empire may not exist today, pieces of their culture such as poems still remain and influence people and paint a picture of the Aztec people.