The result? By 1520, the Spanish were at an absolute low point in their bloody war with the Aztecs. Shortform summary of "Talking to Strangers". The Meeting of Cortés and Montezuma Painted in the latter half of the seventeenth century in Mexico by unknown artists, the eight paintings in the Conquest of Mexico series depict the encounter of Spanish and Aztec cultures and Montezuma was dead, Cortés had lost two-thirds of his men fleeing Tenochtitlán, and the Spanish had taken refuge with the Tlaxcaltecs, the Aztecs' traditional enemy. Thinking that the god had returned, … In recognition of the quincentenary of the Spanish invasion of the Aztec Empire, Matthew Restall draws from his recent book, When Montezuma Met Cortés: The True Story of the Meeting that Changed History , to propose that it is time to upend the … Cortés also told them that one of the objects for which our great Emperor had sent us to their country was to abolish human sacrifices and the other evil rites which they practiced." The meeting took place on one of the causeways leading to the city, so Cortez must have been quite awed by the spectacle. Amanda received her Master's Degree in Education from the University of Pennsylvania. What happened when Hernán Cortés sailed from Spain to Mexico and met Montezuma? Conquest: Cortes, Montezuma, and the Fall of Old Mexico - Ebook written by Hugh Thomas. Having caused me to sit down on a piece of rich carpeting, which he had ordered to be made for his own use, he told me to wait his return there, and then went away. Cortés wrote his account of the famous meeting with Montezuma a year after it happened. Moctezuma came through the center of the street, attended by two lords, one upon his right, and the other upon his left hand, one of whom was the same nobleman who, as I have mentioned, came to meet me in a litter; and the other was the brother of Moctezuma, lord of the city of Iztapalapa, which I had left the same day; all three were dressed in the same manner, except that Moctezuma wore shoes, while the others were without them. These people [Tlaxcalans], I know, have informed you that I possessed houses with walls of gold, and that my carpets and other things in common use were of the texture of gold and that I was a god, or made myself one, and many other such things. Why we're all terrible at understanding the intentions of other people, How these misunderstandings can lead to tragic, fatal consequences, The 2 things you can do to better understand complete strangers. The city is connected to the rest of the land by several causeways.]. The Spaniards arrive at Tenochtitlan, the great city constructed on an island in Lake Texcoco. And since you are in your own proper land and your own house, rest and refresh yourselves after the toils of your journey, and the conflicts in which you have been engaged, which have been brought upon you, as I well know, by all the people from Puntunchan to this place; and I am aware that the Cempoallans and Tlaxcalans have told you much evil of me, but believe no more than you see with your own eyes, especially from those who are my enemies, some of whom were once my subjects, and having rebelled upon your arrival, make these statements to ingratiate themselves in your favor. A mural at the Museo de la Ciudad de México depicts the … It is true I have some things of gold, which my ancestors have left me; all that I have is at your service whenever you wish it. They walked with him, stroking his hair, showing their esteem. According to an Aztec legend, the god Quetzalcoatlwas to return to Mexico in 1519. By looking at some stories from world history and recent news, you’ll begin to understand the strategies people use to translate the words and intentions of strangers. There are three major strategies that people use to make sense of strangers: These three strategies ultimately fail because they operate under the assumption that simple clues are enough evidence of a stranger’s internal thoughts or intentions. Your email address will not be published. When Cortés was told that the Great Moctezuma was approaching, and he saw him coming, he dismounted from his horse, and when he was near Moctezuma, they simultaneously paid great reverence to one another. In Restall’s telling, Montezuma’s monumental miscalculation—allowing Cortés into Tenochtitl á n—led not only to his own demise but also to the end of his empire. Gossip Was Key, Bill Smith (Flower Moon): The Conspiracy to Murder the Osage, Middletown, Ohio History: Once Prosperous, Now a Wasteland (Hillbilly Elegy), CEO Bill Stiritz: The Big Payoffs of Unconventional Tactics, The 2 Most Powerful Lessons that P.T. Throughout human history, the vast majority of human interactions occurred between neighbors, relatives, or people that had at least some things in common, such as worshipping the same God. On the 500th anniversary of Cortés’ meeting with Montezuma II, the conquistador deserves a reconsideration, not cancellation. Cortés resembled the god’s description from the legend. Cortés said many other things very well expressed, which they would report them to their prince Montezuma. Drawing on rare But when it comes to strangers, nothing is as simple as it seems, as we’ve seen with Cortés and Montezuma. Initially, the Spaniards were welcomed and met with gifts from Montezuma II, but Cortés was intent on taking over Tenochtitlán. After a short space of time, when my people were all bestowed in their quarters, he returned with many and various jewels of gold and silver, feather work, and five or six thousand pieces of cotton cloth, very rich and of varied texture and finish. Three decades after Columbus, the Spaniards finally reached the long-imagined realms of gold. Cortes on Meeting Moctezuma From Cortés, Second Letter, 85–89 The Spaniards arrive at Tenochtitlan, the great city constructed on an island in Lake Texcoco. He afterwards came again to this country, after the lapse of much time, and found that his people had intermarried with the native inhabitants, by whom they had many children, and had built towns in which they resided; and when he desired them to return with him, they were unwilling to go, nor were they disposed to acknowledge him as their sovereign; so he departed from the country, and we have always heard that his descendants would come to conquer this land, and reduce us to subjection as his vassals; and according to the direction from which you say you have come, namely, the quarter where the sun rises, and from what you say of the great lord or king, who sent you hither, we believe and are assured that he is our natural sovereign, especially as you say that it is a long time since you first had knowledge of us. Montezuma was in the courtyard of the palace of Axayacatl waiting to receive Cortes and his train. Moctezuma gave Cortés the gift of an Aztec calendar, one disc of crafted gold and another of silver. Montezuma’s native language, Nahuatl, was a reverential mode of speech. "On November 8, 1519, the Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortés first met Montezuma, the Aztec emperor, at the entrance to the capital city of Tenochtitlan. Therefore be assured that we will obey you, and acknowledge you, for our sovereign in place of the great lord whom, you mention, and that there shall be no default or deception on our part. When Montezuma Met Cortés: The True Story of the Meeting That Changed History, by Matthew Restall, Ecco, New York, 2018, $35 Historian Restall of Pennsylvania State University has delivered an exhaustively researched, forcefully argued and … On November 8, 1519, the Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortés first met Montezuma, the Aztec emperor, at the entrance to the capital city of Tenochtitlan. Cortés captured, imprisoned, killed, and desecrated Montezuma’s remains. But when Hernán Cortés sailed from Spain to Mexico in 1519, he began an entirely new kind of encounter in human history. Your email address will not be published. They walked on foot, then mounted They had to go through a long and complicated chain of translation to communicate with each other. Drawing on rare primary sources and overlooked accounts by conquistadors and Aztecs alike, Restall supplies a … That was how he communicated his nobility and power. And, you’ll begin to notice the patterns by which those strategies fail. This is an example of one of the first times in human history that two people with entirely different assumptions, histories, and cultural backgrounds were thrown into contact. She’s published dozens of articles and book reviews spanning a wide range of topics, including health, relationships, psychology, science, and much more. Upon meeting the Aztec ruler Montezuma II and discovering the capital, Tenochtitlán, Cortés and his men were in awe. He was supported on the arms of both, and as we approached, I alighted and advanced alone to salute him; but the two attendant lords stopped me to prevent my touching him, and they and he both performed the ceremony of kissing the ground; after which he directed his brother who accompanied him to remain with me; the, latter accordingly took me by the arm, while Moctezuma, with his other attendant, walked a short distance in front of me, and after he had spoken to me, all the other nobles also came up to address me, and then went away in two processions with great regularity, one after the other, and in this manner returned to the city. Encontre diversos livros escritos por When Montezuma spoke, he chose to portray false humility. So what should we do? The houses you see are of stone and lime and earth. In a departure from traditional tellings, When Montezuma Met Cortés uses "the Meeting"--as Restall dubs their first encounter--as the entry point into a comprehensive reevaluation of both Cortés and Montezuma. Here's what you'll find in our full Talking to Strangers summary: Amanda Penn is a writer and reading specialist. After having proceeded along the street, one of his servants came bringing two collars formed of shell fish, enclosed in a roll of cloth, which were made from the shells of colored prawns or periwinkles, held by them in high estimation; and from each collar depended eight golden prawns, finished in a very perfect manner, about a foot and a half in length. Thereupon, Cortés took Moctezuma by the hand and led him by it. When Cortés Met Malinche, and Montezuma Met Cortés: Alternative Facts and Disturbing Truths from Dumbarton Oaks Videos on Vimeo. Why does meeting a stranger face-to-face sometimes make it harder to make sense of that person than it would be without meeting them at all? Aztec accounts of the event, compiled by Miguel Leon-Portillo shortly after and published as The Broken Spears, claim that Moctezuma (also Montezuma) believed Cortes was a god. But to Cortés, Montezuma’s humble words sounded like surrender. Upon meeting the Aztec ruler Montezuma II and discovering the capital, Tenochtitlán, Cortés and his men were in awe. The city is connected to the rest of the land by several causeways.] Montezuma’s capture and murder at the hand of Cortés, followed by the death of nearly 20 million Aztecs. In When Montezuma Met Cortés, Restall succeeds in deconstructing the traditional narrative of European military superiority overwhelming a naive and barbarous indigenous ruler. When Montezuma Met Cortés The True Story of the Meeting That Changed History (Audiobook CD) : Restall, Matthew : The meeting of Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortés and Aztec emperor Montezuma is often seen as the meeting between a military genius and a coward. Descendants of Aztec emperor Moctezuma II and Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés met in Mexico City on Friday to mark the 500th anniversary of their ancestors’ first meeting… Why can’t we identify when a stranger is lying to our face? He How did the meeting of Cortés and Montezuma mark a turning point in the way we think about other people? Painting by unknown artist of … The two leaders, Cortés and Montezuma, knew absolutely nothing about each other’s language, civilization, or cultural nuances. On any given day … You’ll begin to see where those strategies came from. 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There came to meet me at this place [on a causeway] nearly a thousand of the principal inhabitants of the great city, all uniformly dressed according to their custom in very rich costumes; and as soon as they had come within speaking distance, each one, as he approached me, performed a salutation in much use among them, by placing his hand upon the ground and kissing it; and thus I was kept waiting about an hour, until all had performed the ceremony. And the Spaniards looked at him, each examining him closely. Like this article? One answer to this question lies in the difference between the way Cortés and Montezuma communicated, based on their cultural tradition. Why was Cortés able to conquer Montezuma and the Aztecs so easily? On November 8, 1519, the Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortés first met Montezuma, the Aztec emperor, at the entrance to the capital city of Tenochtitlan. 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During his march to the Aztec capital, Cortés gathers valuable allies among enemies of Montezuma 8 August 1519: Beginning of the march to Tenochtitlan Having skirmished their way along the coast, and met with Montezuma’s emissaries, Cortés and the conquistadors set out for Tenochtitlan from their settlement of Vera Cruz. Moctezuma bade him welcome and our Cortés replied through Doña Marina, who he always had at his side, wishing him very good health. Required fields are marked *. I am now going to my other houses where I reside; you will be here provided with every thing necessary for yourself and your people, and will suffer no embarrassment, as you are in your own house and country.". Cortés later melted these down for their monetary value. 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