Spanish Conquest Of Mexico Summary

The accounts of the Spanish conquest of Mexico are often Spanish and almost always "patently self-serving" (Hassig 3). They glorify the ideals of the groups that the authors represent and emphasize the improbability of the Spanish victories. They largely ignore the Native points of view of the conquest, due to both a smaller number of Native accounts and due to their own motives. However, Hassig presents a balanced narrative of the Spanish conquest of Mexico and considers the Native perspectives and motives from a practical point of view.
The first two Spanish expeditions to the New World were both violent and educational for the Natives and for the Spanish themselves. On Cordoba's expedition, Spanish accounts relate that they were ambushed by the Maya unprovoked, although Hassig gives the Natives the benefit of the doubt. He mentions that the Mayas may have had reason for concern when they saw the Spanish ships arrive due to
Cortes became aware of the existing conflicts between the Aztecs and various other Natives, including the Totonacs. The Totonacs wanted freedom from their servitude to the Aztecs and showed Cortes that they were willing to support the Spanish cause. Cortes used this relationship between the Totonacs and Aztecs to play for both sides. He did his best to show the Aztecs that he was an ally until he explicitly fought against them, all while proving to the Totonacs that he supported their fight against the Aztecs. However, this relationship was only one of many with which Cortes involved himself. While some Spanish accounts depict Cortes' cunning as the primary reason for his success, some groups were involved only by necessity. Some Natives, like the Tlaxcallan, made agreements with Cortes because they had no other choices. Not every relationship was the result of Cortes’ wit and intellect, but rather many simply fell out of the events that