Cortes And Montezuma Edited
Micheal Shrum
1364 English 103
M. Gonzalez
Project 2
October 24, 2013
Word Count 958
An Aztec’s Dilemma The leader of the Aztec empire, Montezuma, came face to face with a man that he believed to be the returning god Quetzalcoatl, and by making this mistake based on his flawed belief system brought about the destruction of the empire and his people.
The text tells us that Montezuma and Cortes take many walks together. On one such walk Montezuma begins to question Cortes about Christianity. At this point Cortes has obviously explained the concept of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Montezuma then asked the question of “where is the mother?” Montezuma is intrigued by concepts of one god three forms, but yet does not know where the mother is. The text would have you to believe he is asking about the mother of the son, and one would assume he is asking of the Virgin Mary; however, Montezuma could be talking about the mother of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. In Montezuma’s belief system there is a mother of all things, the Aztec mother or Mother Earth. This moment in the text can be looked at through circumstance. The circumstances being addressed surround Montezuma and his beliefs. Is Montezuma questioning his own beliefs because Cortes is telling him there is another way, or is Montezuma’s quest for knowledge driving him to question the beliefs of Cortes? One could argue that Montezuma’s belief in Cortes is the only reason he is questioning his own belief system and exploring Christianity. If Cortes is Quetzalcoatl, then it would be reasonable for Montezuma to believe anything that the god is telling him. May this in fact be his down fall? Gaining this knowledge and accepting that his own beliefs may be flawed, he allows Cortes to indoctrinate the Aztec people into the Christian faith forsaking their own belief and thereby forfeiting their way of life. Believing Cortes to be Quetzalcoatl, Montezuma begins to question the outcome of his actions
1364 English 103
M. Gonzalez
Project 2
October 24, 2013
Word Count 958
An Aztec’s Dilemma The leader of the Aztec empire, Montezuma, came face to face with a man that he believed to be the returning god Quetzalcoatl, and by making this mistake based on his flawed belief system brought about the destruction of the empire and his people.
The text tells us that Montezuma and Cortes take many walks together. On one such walk Montezuma begins to question Cortes about Christianity. At this point Cortes has obviously explained the concept of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Montezuma then asked the question of “where is the mother?” Montezuma is intrigued by concepts of one god three forms, but yet does not know where the mother is. The text would have you to believe he is asking about the mother of the son, and one would assume he is asking of the Virgin Mary; however, Montezuma could be talking about the mother of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. In Montezuma’s belief system there is a mother of all things, the Aztec mother or Mother Earth. This moment in the text can be looked at through circumstance. The circumstances being addressed surround Montezuma and his beliefs. Is Montezuma questioning his own beliefs because Cortes is telling him there is another way, or is Montezuma’s quest for knowledge driving him to question the beliefs of Cortes? One could argue that Montezuma’s belief in Cortes is the only reason he is questioning his own belief system and exploring Christianity. If Cortes is Quetzalcoatl, then it would be reasonable for Montezuma to believe anything that the god is telling him. May this in fact be his down fall? Gaining this knowledge and accepting that his own beliefs may be flawed, he allows Cortes to indoctrinate the Aztec people into the Christian faith forsaking their own belief and thereby forfeiting their way of life. Believing Cortes to be Quetzalcoatl, Montezuma begins to question the outcome of his actions