Cortés Meets Montezuma // Cortés' letters // 8th November 1519

In the early Sixteenth Century a force of hundreds overcame an empire of millions.
This is the story of one of the most momentous events of the Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire - the meeting of Spanish leader Hernán Cortés, an obscure career soldier from the Castilian badlands, and Montezuma, the ruler of the Aztec Triple Alliance, a man revered as a god upon earth by his millions of subjects.
How do we actually know about history? Voices of the Past is a channel dedicated to recreating the original accounts from the people who lived through events, or who lived far closer to them than we do today. We do this word for word, with an accompanying soundtrack of rousing music and images.
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By Lago_de_Texcoco-posclásico.png: YavidaxiuValley_of_Mexico_c.1519-fr.svg: historicair 13:51, 11 September 2007 (UTC)derivative work: Sémhur (talk) - Lago_de_Texcoco-posclásico.png, itself from :(fr) Niederberger Betton, Christine (1987) Paléo-paysages et archéologie pré-urbaine du Bassin de Mexico, Mexico: Centro de estudios mexicanos y centroamericanos (CEMCA), pp. 500 ISBN: 3785726.Valley_of_Mexico_c.1519-fr.svg, itself from :(en) Coe, Michael; Snow, Dean; Benson, Elizabeth (1986) Atlas of Ancient America, Category:New York: Facts On File, pp. 240 ISBN: 978-0816011995.(en) Townsend, Richard F. (1992) The Aztecs, London: Thames & Hudson, pp. 224 ISBN: 978-0500021132.(es) This picture incorporates information from La cuenca de México, special edition of Arqueología Mexicana, july-august 2007, Mexico (in particular, the Enrique Vela's maps of the pages 70 and 60, based on Sanders et al. The Basin of Mexico, 1979).(es) This picture incorporates information from this version of the article Lago de Texcoco on the Spanish Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
Diego Rivera [CC BY-SA 3.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)]

[@12345678900987659101]

I am sure the Spanish and Aztecs will have excellent relations lasting centuries.

[@giovannithiene8744]

flyingkoopa45 me too

[@tacleohjoe7577]

Uh-oh

[@northwest2647]

ya they banged each other and it worked out.

[@johnjoiner8102]

Mojados still worship any European lineage they may have.

[@dasherhunter434]

Caesers Legion you loveeeee it

[@thebrocialist8300]

“Spanish or Vanish.” -Hernando Cortes

[@LuisAldamiz]

It's usually rendered as Hernán, although it is the same name as Hernando.

[@thebrocialist8300]

Luis Aldamiz 🤫

[@bertilfaux4194]

He was a badass. I don't care what anybody says.

[@alex-qh9ds]

"Both" -Montezuma

[@Blackknight1212]

@@bertilfaux4194 he was a pussy and died a miserable loser. God knew he was a piece of shit and thats why he got what he deserved in the end. Thats also why Spain is a shit hole now and constantly going bankrupt.

[@jacobvanderhoeven1008]

Interesting he calls their temples mosques

[@rodolfogonzalez724]

Thats because it was a term used by Cortés to describe the temples. It was, anyway a document redactes by either Cortés o Diaz del Castillo to explain the new world to an spanish audience

[@CaptainHaddocck]

Wrong. The spanish had just ended the Reconqista a few decades ago and had been used to fighting savages for centuries. The name mosque were just the name for non Christian religious buildings.

[@derrengui]

It was the easiest way to explain to his compatriots back in Spain that the temples were dedicated to false gods

[@MrJethroha]

The idea that the new world was connected to Asia somehow had not yet been totally dispelled by Cortez's time, and the Portugese had reported that there were Muslims in the East Indies by this point. Magellan's voyage (sans the explorer himself of course) wouldn't definitely prove that America and Asia were different continents until 1522. Amerigo Vespucchi had theorized this earlier, but most cartographers continued making rather ridiculous maps with no pacific ocean until Magellan's crew told them their captain had died in it.

[@morgott13]

@Scott Levy savages is an accurate descriptor. they were literally practicing human sacrifice. candy coating it is just subversive.

[@sambland3903]

Montezuma: we think you were sent by God. Cortez: Yes.

[@sambland3903]

@John Newman That doesn't detract from the irony.

[@Cassiuswasright]

@John Newman source please? I just finished listening to a lecture series on pre columbian mexico and the myth of the feathered serpent and a conqueror who sailed to the west and vowed to return was discussed, obviously "they thought they were gods lol" is an exaggeration but the aztecs certainly had an apocalyptic prophecy involving someone coming from the west, plus aztec scholars pre-cortez were already writing about how the prophecied end time was coming up.

[@jamesburke1039]

It's a myth invented a century after the event. There's no proof Aztecs believed in deities that took on human form.

[@adrean3693]

😂😂

[@bubasingh4680]

Montezuma would have known the difference. He was a man of wisdom, fully enlightened. Do you really think he would have actually made such a mistake? Montezuma was more a god than Cortez rarely even bathed

[@T25de]

Now THAT is Southern Hospitality

[@colinp2238]

y'all come back now yer hear.

[@oghaki5097]

lolol

[@T25de]

Remember how they brought those germ blankets? Remember how germ theory wasn’t invented yet 😃

[@EternamDoov]

@@T25de Completely out of place comment you made, and you're also a complete idiot. Just because individual germs weren't known about, diseases were definitely known

[@T25de]

David Hillman No u

[@FakeSugarVillain]

When Cortez describes what Moctezuma said sounded like a line from a sonic fanfiction "And then Sonic came to me and said, all of my things are yours and I'm your servant"

[@DoctorM42]

To be fair Montezuma had armies of all the tribes he pissed off (which is ALL OF THEM) on his border, rallying behind Cortez, no wonder he was ready to give up everything and tell anything to save his life.

[@ericspencer8093]

@@DoctorM42 No, Moctezuma was speaking of an Aztec prophesy, which foretold that their chief god would one day return from the east. He believed that the Spanish were fulfillment of that prophesy, and that Cortes was a representative sent by the god.

[@skyworm8006]

@@ericspencer8093 There are two layers to this, culture and hard politics. It's likely he intended to strike back or carve out a place for himself afterwards and only did this to buy time, later betraying Cortes. His native opponents would eventually take him down with or without the Spaniards and with the Spaniards' arrival it gave his opponents the perfect person to rally behind.

[@karebear9230]

Kind of like the U.S now, the world is tired of U.S dominance how history repeats itself.

[@danimotherofchickens479]

Steel King Benjamin it was their prophesy though, that they came from another land to Mexico and someday the one who fled would come back. So it was quite the coincidence. The Aztec account is similar in that regards that they thought it was a long lost ruler returning.

[@Locedamius]

Sounds like Montezuma really wanted the Spanish on his side in the upcoming war.

[@heinuchung8680]

Big mistake lol

[@dickbison]

@@heinuchung8680 It would work if one of his own people didn't kill him with a rock

[@sebastiant.3588]

He was scared to death about losing His throne

[@assassinaria]

They were all fucked from day 1 lol. If I went back in time to the Aztec lands with a bulletproof vest and a handful of men with guns, I'd definitely take over too. It would be easy to tempt anyone with that sort of power.

[@joselugo4536]

D. Francisco de Almeida was a veteran Conqueror in several wars against the Muslims, yet a small engagement with KhoiKhoi ended with his death. Never underestimate the power of fire-hardened sticks!

[@Stupoider]

Cortes: It's free real estate

[@vinny9868]

Montezuma: It's free real estate. Cortes: Stonks

[@user-uw3fi2zg4t]

@biggs949597 s stop talking as we and they, this was 500 years ago and most probably you are not cortez descendant, get over it

[@darealmvp1977]

@biggs949597 s he conquered with the help of many of the aztecs rivals and states that hated paying them tribute. Ur a fool if u think he did it with only Spanish muscle. Plus theres others like the yaqui and chichimeca(and others) who were never conquered by the Spanish and so a truce had to be done. In some respects Cortez is like hitler. Some love him and others dont but both carried great acts of violence during their respective time

[@darealmvp1977]

@biggs949597 s it was ballsy but the help he received from the multiple rival groups cannot be understated. It was probably the most critical reason his invasion was successful. Also, Motecuzoma being superstitious and his belief in the Spaniards as gods also screwed the Mexicas.

[@tiny2315]

biggs949597 s I’m *Astonished* something like your comment is so upvoted, you went full Nazii... maybe thats the demographics of this channel, sad.

[@censusgary]

Cortes wrote that Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital, was as great and fine as any city in Europe of the time (about 1520).

[@cv4809]

@@floydlechner2445 yes, Europe needs to be purified once again

[@JamesTaylor-on9nz]

@@floydlechner2445 I like the way you think

[@mike_nolan]

@@floydlechner2445 I bet you would quiver and piss yourself should such conflicts arise again

[@asteroidkatfacts1036]

It was better than Europe in everyday specially cleaner

[@asteroidkatfacts1036]

ETB Agreed. Norse, Celts, and Romans all committed human sacrifice.

[@jamestown8398]

I find this interesting how, before war against the Spanish even began, Montezuma admits that two other cities are already rebelling against him. I'm going to make a bold statement now; I think that the Aztec Empire would have fallen around this time even if no Conquistadors arrived. For all their achievements, the Aztecs were despised by the people they ruled over - that's why their subjects were so ready to support the Spaniards.

[@fernandorivera4719]

You're spot on. More than half of the army that stormed Tenotchtitlan were natives that had allied themselves under Cortez banner against the aztecs.

[@sebastianramirez8380]

If im right in the precolombian Mexico there were rules regarding the wars, one of them stated that if a city had been defeated, then the army and resources of that place should serve from that moment to the winner part, that was the way the mexicas(aztecs) got the control over many cities and also how Cortés acomplish to

[@sebastianramirez8380]

Acomplish to grow up his army with lots of indigenous cities armies

[@gospaironija2762]

There was white people existing there since the destruction of Altantis Spaniards speak about them as their own people.They could not destinct each other apart.Cloud people that build everything there.They were children of people who come there to "give" civilization to Mestizos.They even talk about white gods coming and Aztecs were thinking Spaniards are gods.

[@jamestown8398]

@@gospaironija2762Atlantis wasn't a real civilization, but rather a fictional society which Plato used as an allegory for the folly of hubris and pride.

[@while.coyote]

I suspect Montezuma said something completely different than what he thinks he said.

[@vinny9868]

It is said that it was all metaphorical and he just tried to be a good host, but Cortes took him literally and just accepted the fact that he is not the man of gold nor is the city made of gold. Instead, they were all made subjects of the Spanish empire.

[@mcdoogs3037]

Actually, Nahuatl, had a reverential mode in its language. The speaker is often obliged to say the opposite of what is really meant. Montezuma would speak in code, which is cultural tradition in which the powerful projected their status through elaborate false humility. So Montezuma would speak of himself as small and weak, to draw attention that he is esteemed and powerful. This whole scenario was an actual draw of his own power

[@sonnyocad287]

@@mcdoogs3037 That sounds interesting. Is there a video or article you can recommend on the subject?

[@programSense]

@Alex F The Broken Spears book is a good start.

[@Criomorph]

@@mcdoogs3037 There's a video on this exact channel where it details how the Aztecs initially thought the Spaniards were gods.

[@varalderfreyr8438]

Nobody expected the Spanish Conquisition

[@Pajgubb3]

@david nichols You need to relax.

[@Pajgubb3]

@david nichols lol

[@Elmnopen]

Lol I didn't even notice he had said that.

[@sophiaperennis2360]

@david nichols You have to be living under a rock not to be familiar with that joke, especially on the internet.

[@8362072]

david nichols Nah this is all bait. That or you’re somebody who scored a 130 on an online IQ test and need to flex your superiority on us heathens.

[@feral7523]

Bit similar to Caeser saying the Gauls 'Invited' him into Gaul!!

[@Drobexxx]

He very clearly says that he helped an allied Celtic population (of which I don't remember the name) to repel another population from Helvetia who was migrating through their territory. If I recall correctly that population was allied to a Germanic tribe (the Boii, maybe?) That decided to aid them against the Celts and thus Caesar found an excuse to meddle into Gallic politics and subjugate the area. But you could say that some Celts really did invite him over😂

[@ChaosShake94]

Both Caesar and Cortes had native allies. Caesar even put Gauls in the Senate.

[@hulking_presence]

Because they did.

[@Andre_Servetus]

35slayer, Another ignorant snide remark from someone who thinks they know something but really needs to educate themselves by primary sources. It was common for dignitaries of civilizations to host one another respectfully and it is also common that men understood and expected rivalries and competition to exist among all. There was also because of this understanding a certain way of behaving toward new powers with deferemce and respect just as they had vassals and subjects thry understood that they may become the vassal of greater power

[@hulking_presence]

And if they didn't, so what?

[@TheeDrGroyper]

In Mexico, for those who don’t know, there’s a saying: *A Mexicans greatest enemy is another Mexican* I strongly believe the conquest of Mexico really messed them up. Cortes took advantage of the fact that the Mexica hated each other and he was able to conquer them by easily dividing them. That division *STILL* exists till this very day.

[@Artemisarrowzz]

This is a problem in all of latin america. The most hated country by latin americans is usually their own, which doesn't really help to make things better.

[@thecashmaker1994]

Yep. Northern Mexicans hate southern Mexicans. And vice versa. Also, urban Mexicans hate rural Mexicans, and vice versa.

[@nahidbethehonoredone]

Oh my goodness, that's the same thing here in the Philippines Given that we are an archipelago, we are even more diverse and divided, and the hate still exists up until now especially between the North (Luzon, especially the Tagalogs) and the South (Mindanao and Visayas, especially the Bisayas). And also the main reason why the Spanish conquered us so easily (Cortez did it in Mexico, well Legazpi finished Magellan's unfinished work and conquered the islands of Visayas and Luzon. Mindanao pretty much became untouched as Muslims reside that area)

[@TheeDrGroyper]

ComradeSam1994 Not only that, but it’s very tribal and a Mexican seems more loyal to their specific region before their motherland. I’ve noticed here in the US it’s slowly becoming that way too. So many states hating each other. I’m in California, and over here the South despises the north and vise versa.

[@frazierduran71]

That's the way it is around the world. It's nothing special. The difference is some people know how to stick together when an outside force comes.

[@dsala2614]

MONTEZUMA SHOULD HAVE BUILT A HUGE WALL...

[@deanbuss1678]

Bigly

[@ebervaliusahau2289]

Indeed he should've

[@Popperite]

And Mexico would indeed have paid for it.

[@strongback6550]

Orange man bad

[@N.Jordan3579]

And Spain would pay for it 😂😂😂😂😂 #Mexicans keeping the Spanish out

[@fakename8850]

That was getting kind of weird when Moctezuma raised his robes

[@MrFreakHeavy]

Moctezuma lifted his robe and repeated with a different intonation, directing his unwavering gaze at Cortez: "all of which I own is yours." And then shit got raunchy. -- Cortés -Letter to the King- Secret Fanfic, 1520

[@dannyherrera2163]

What part did he raise his robe? 😂 Like what minute mark? Lol

[@cpegg5840]

Because he was a savage pig and he got what he deserved.

[@goliathtigerfishes]

Sword fight!

[@goliathtigerfishes]

Danny Herrera about 6:00

[@olirayner5129]

This channel is just beautiful I cannot get enough of it.

[@LuisAldamiz]

And then Cortés took him literally... and took everything he posessed and made the country his own. Moctezuma: oops, I didn't meant that so literally...

[@framegrace1]

Don't ask me to defend the Horrible Castilian invasion, but to be fair, it was not like this. Moctezuma was really in favor of befriend the Spanish, they killed all of his enemies after all, so they had been quite usefull, and Hernan Cortés also thought that having the Triple Aztec Coalition on his side would be a good thing (At this time, he was a rebel, and the Spanish King already had sent an army to catch him). Unfortunatelly, next year of the event described on the letter, Moctezuma died by a rock thrown on a procession (Aztec people was not specially fond of the Spanish coalition), and his brother Cuauhtémoc (Part of the uncomptent) was elected as the new king. He attacked the house were all the Hernan Cortes command were hosted, and Hernan himself barely escaped. Then he took revenge, and quite a bloddy one.... The rest is history.

[@LuisAldamiz]

@@framegrace1 - That's not the version I'm familiar with at all. AFAIK, Cortés allied with the Tlaxacaltecas, one of the peoples systematically oppressed by the Aztecs and these made up the bulk of his army. It is true that, scared, Moctezuma tried to appease the Castilians and set some form of alliance but this was mostly because the Castilians were actively taking over Tenochtitlan by brute force. Then it happened as you say: Moctezuma was killed and a replacement was crowned in the "Noche Triste", when the Castilians barely made it out of Tenochtitlan.

[@DioBrando-mr5xs]

@@LuisAldamiz Almost like you were lied to. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.

[@LuisAldamiz]

@@DioBrando-mr5xs - Not really. I know a lot of history and prehistory. I am sometimes wrong, like everybody, but I don't think I am in this case.

[@InvisibleHotdog]

According to his own words, he did mean it so literally

[@leonelmartinez5361]

There are writings of how handsome and brave Moctezuma was but I never hear it in English version. There are books from spaniard on how magnificent and clean the city of technotitlan was and other facts that are not discussed or have I heard in English. The last time Montezuma and Cortez met was more interesting. For you Spanish speakers I recommend NOPAL TIMES on youtube.. They specialize in telling Mexican history from mayas, Aztecs, past presidents and other interesting topics

[@psallen5099]

@leonelmartinez5361 Try reading Bernal Diaz’s book The History of the Conquest of New Spain written in 1541 by the last surviving conquistador who served under Cortez

[@daveybernard1056]

"If you like your Aztec Empire, you can keep your Aztec Empire."

[@KingDanny9]

LMAOOO

[@outdoor044]

That line never gets old.

[@deedeekay1642]

swear!

[@samwell707]

Nice

[@darbyohara]

Barak obamatec 😂

[@scoringbox2176]

To think that this happened 499 years and 364 days ago, making tomorrow the 500th anniversary of this exact day in history. Isn’t it amazing how far we’ve come? I know we still have our flaws today, but so much has changed in such a short amount of time. And believe me, about 5,000 years of recorded history means that this happened at right at the start of the last tenth of it. The technological, military, and political advances made in the last 500 years alone by humans eclipsed those made prior to the 1500s tenfold. I know it sounds crazy, but I would be surprised if mars and moons of outer planets aren’t colonized before I die at the current rate of advancement. It’s too bad there’s just so many people alive today who choose ignore all this knowledge of how we came to be where we are today. If one minor detail in our history didn’t occur the way it did, we wouldn’t be here. That also means right now, we are choosing every day with the choices we make what our future will look like. Just think, what will our day and age look like in the history textbooks of the future after we’re gone? What will our untold descendants say about us? What will our generation’s legacy leave behind for the next to improve on?

[@ericspencer8093]

Civilization collapsed around 1200 BC, followed by a 400-500 year dark age, then rose bigger and better than before, followed by another collapse in the 4th Century AD, and another long dark age. Going by history, I'd say we're do for another collapse and another dark age.

[@jerres9585]

@@ericspencer8093 I definitely think so too, although I'll add this, in the previous declines of civilization and the 4th century AD civilization collapse in Europe is a great example, the world wasn't as connected and small as it is today. In more practical terms, we didn't have one global, multinational economy as we do now. So when the Western Roman empire fell and Europe succumbed to the Dark Ages, the civilizations in the Middle East, China and India were doing alright for example and kept on going.. This time if it happens, it'll be global, a direct consequence of the Global Village as they call it, that all our advancements have brought to life

[@KingNoTail]

@Yashaya Yaquab 144 I see you found your tin foil hat that your mom threw in the garbage.

[@KingNoTail]

@Yashaya Yaquab 144 Yea I actually have seen planets, not in person of course, but through this very powerful instrument I have that's called a telescope. You should try using one sometime instead of believing that there is some sort of global conspiracy to not tell us the truth about outer space.

[@alexabihabib8215]

@Yashaya Yaquab 144 go outside of your house, away from cities and look in the sky. It might shock you but there are these things called stars and planets, you can see them with you damn eyes. Use a telescope and you can see individual planets. With some camera lenses you can even take photos of the ISS passing in front of the moon or other planets. All very real my guy. The ancient Sumerians and Greeks wrote about this. And the Europeans aren't liars, they are the founders of one of the world's greatest civilizations ever.

[@randomvintagefilm273]

Your voice and style of narration is excellent and takes me right to the event!

[@silveryuno]

Thank you for another amazing video. Listeing to it I could not help but wonder what Montezuma actually meant when saying those words. Nahuatl (the azetc language) is a very "poetic" language, and the words of Montezuma were being translated by Malinche. Who know what Montezuma actualy meant to say.

[@MajoraZ]

Precisely, the variations of Nahuatl used in diplomatic contexts was oozing with specific symbolic phrases and figures of speech which make translating it iffy; if you look at Aztec records of the events in question, the translation is very different and it doesn't have the same connotations of giving over the kingdom or dknowleding Cortes as a lost god as it does here. There's a section of the book "7 Myths of the Spanish Conquest" entirely comparing different translations of this specific exchange.

[@pfefferfilm]

I'm absolutely certain that there was a good deal of "generously" subjective translating

[@GeoGyf]

Maybe that he considers the Spaniards as blood-relatives, distant cousins or descendants of Quetzaloatl. Cortes believed that the Aztecs thought him as Quetzalcoatl reborn/avatar, but maybe thats Spanish exaggeration at play. Quetzalcoatl tought the Mesoamericans arts, craft, farming tricks etc & is thought to have arrived from the sea. Possibly ancient Greeks made the voyage. There are a lot of similarities between Mesoamericans/Incas & Ancient Greeks (mainly Myceneans/Minoans) mostly in meander designs, architectural stoa designs, and musical instrument resemblance & there have been a couple joint-effort cultural/historic/diplomatic relations between Greece & various S.America countries. Certainly the hints are there, but without absolute proof who can say.

[@sittingstill3578]

Insightful comments. The Penn Museum did a lecture series titled “Great Beasts of Legend” that provides some more insight into the worldview. Hearing from primary sources is really essential in an age when most information is abstractions of abstractions. Great Beasts of Legend (Penn Museum): kzbin.info/aero/PLsnLPcXMHBKMNxEZo9fQ-VTww_7l5W6AJ

[@Zorro9129]

@ibesweetp2 >Castilian Hitler lol

[@leslielutz1874]

Every thing I own is yours said no man never ever to another man.

[@IudiciumInfernalum]

Well this guy did, he was at first convinced the Spanish were Gods. I guess if literal Jesus showed up at your front door you might be extra nice as well.

[@NewNecro]

@@IudiciumInfernalum yeah people forget that to the natives Spanish were literally aliens from a mothership that could blow up rock and trees to rubble and fire thunder from their staffs. Imagine not wanting seemingly literal gods on your side in a religious society.

[@IudiciumInfernalum]

@Just thoughts really Jesus believes in property rights, i know this. I've asked Him personally.

[@assassinaria]

Actually, one thing that carried over from ancient Persia to this day are those exact words. Persians always say that to guests that arrive in their home even though they only mean for a span of a couple days and rely on the guest to be polite enough not to take everything.

[@squakrock]

Some dudes give up the booty cheeks

[@lorijohnson9230]

Thank you! I love your work!

[@jan-willemvankaathoven914]

Lucky Cortez, he just happened to be the prophesised heir to the empire he discovered! If I were him I would be the first one to tell everybody about it as well ;)

[@davidkelly4210]

Mesoamericans and Inca did in fact think their gods/progenitors would 1 day come from the east, white and bearded.

[@le-chevalier-renaud]

Cortez was never gonna "keep" Mexico, it was always gonna belong to the Emperor of Spain. The most Cortez hoped for was a title of nobility and fief in Spain itself.

[@elmaster7465]

@@davidkelly4210 this is a myth made up by the Spaniards that wasn't ever mentioned until decades after the conquest, in reality at the time of contact the Spaniards recorded an instance where they couldn't tell apart one of their own men (Geronimo de Aguilar) from Mayans, which isn't surprising considering Spaniards aren't exactly the "whitest" with their Moorish admixture. Also, light skinned Amerindians exist which disproves the "white" gods myth.

[@joselugo4536]

Elmaster, why the Spaniards need to fabricate a myth after successfully conquering both the Incan and Aztec Empires? It doesn't add up! Did the Native Peoples of the Americas knew about whiter peoples than the Spaniards? It seems you follow Martin Luther description of the Spaniards as《sunt plerunque Marani, Mamelucken》in 1537. Unmitigated racist humbug!

[@delamoxica]

@@elmaster7465 And the moors weren't exactly the swarthiest with their vandal admixture and so on ad nauseum. It woud be fun to see you correct these mexicans, perhaps along the lines of "the spainards dont really look like slavic or irish people hence calling them "white" despite them being paler than you and european is somehow not correct, maybe you'd even dare call Cortez a half moorish bastard though I doubt it.

[@mrspanky369]

great narration, thank you for sharing

[@zhbvenkhoReload]

You keep putting images of palm trees, but that region has pine trees... Lol

[@christianpotter164]

zhbvenkhoReload got em

[@DavidHernandez-oz4me]

Yes its was forests and lakes

[@0x0404]

That is a good interesting detail that is fairly important actually. Especially for something history focused.

[@Ernireg3]

I’m no expert but it may be because of the discovery of the new world in the Caribbean in 1492.

[@trugrit7210]

"In the early Sixteenth Century a force of hundreds overcame an empire of millions." First sentence and already wrong. Cortes had made alliances with local groups that were tired of the Aztecs lording over them. It was an army of thousands that took on the Aztecs. Cortes couldn't have defeated the Aztecs with only his Spanish troops.

[@brycekillian1096]

@@Nnnnn636 Thanks' for not having a point.

[@NoahBodze]

There’s no history anymore. It’s history of history. If someone says something different about the past later, they repeat that “later” and don’t dare looking at the source.

[@haydeen6535]

The force of hundreds forged alliances, and together with the alliances they managed to forge, they defeated the empire of millions. So yes, the force of hundreds did defeat the empire of millions, they did this by forging alliances. Stop trying to sound smart nerd.

[@trugrit7210]

​@@haydeen6535 I see you're not a fan of the English language.

[@denistardif6650]

@@trugrit7210 Cortes was Spanish....... And for the other one he is trying to push the moral of weeeell technically the Spanish did not defeat the Aztec when all other accounts tell us other wise Spanish get on coast bada-bing badaboom no more Aztec what do you call that?

[@yushothu201]

Remember kids only the winner gets to write history.

[@yushothu201]

@Benghali In Platforms I feel growing up in a western school we were lied to about the other party constantly by the people writing the history books.

[@unnamedshadow1866]

the Aztecs never had time to write their version. And even if they did, it was burned by the Priests that arrived after the Conquest. The Mayans though, they were able to write. And it gives us an interesting depiction of the invaders. I hope we get a narration from their side as well.

[@JP-rf8rr]

Tell that to the Vikings

[@yushothu201]

@@angelarevalo6903 why do you think we are all here watching this video...?

[@blueboylugos4920]

Woe to the vanquished

[@davidchase9424]

Hippity hoppity, your empire is now my property

[@sporefergieboy10]

David Chase chapo check

[@skipjackjohnson5528]

They were flashing their gold to the spanish explores. That was a big mistake. How would they know thougb.

[@sergiofernandez4566]

The gold was important as the Spaniards were not soldiers of the crown but entreprenaurs: all of them from Cortés to the poorest soldier BUT also 1 they were very religious and wanted to spread the faith and Cortés grow up with Anni al and Alexander the great

[@estacion7386]

Gold was not even the best or precious thing for the sztecs

[@MakaveliRaider]

Gold wasn't a big thing to the Aztecs.

[@chrisg1621]

no des papaya

[@grishy8203]

The luckiest conqueror ever: "Alright guys we're looking for a tough fight here. These guys won't go down easy." Moctezuma: "Oh hey we've been waiting for you, what are our king's orders?"

[@KowboyUSA]

Only moments ago I was pondering Cortés and Montezuma in contrast to Leopold in the Congo, and like magic this video appears in my notifications.

[@LuisAldamiz]

Cortés was much more corteous than Leopold. He even "liberated" the Tlaxcaltecas and AFAIK cut nobody's hand, just some heads.

[@KowboyUSA]

@@LuisAldamiz he certainly was.

[@thisisgeorge2117]

If you think it... google/KZbin knows? I do know that if I speak something out loud it usually shows up pretty fast in my feed. 🤨😵

[@KowboyUSA]

​@@thisisgeorge2117 noticed that just talking to someone in my contacts who is carrying a smart phone triggers the feed on my computer. It's getting ridiculous.

[@simonestreeter1518]

@@KowboyUSA Holy shit.

[@BenKlassen1]

This is one of my favorite channels. Excellent!

[@rjg9631]

Well narrated!

[@sadface9661]

This was beautiful

[@motorcitysmitty4]

This is my favourite channel on youtube. Amazing work!

Excellent... yet again

[@scottalbers2518]

This is really helpful. I hope that you will keep doing this.

[@VoicesofthePast]

Will do! Thanks!

[@ieatcrayons408]

Aztecs: HERE, HAVE OUR COUNTRY Cortés: well that was surprisingly easy And then no one dies

[@duckhawkninja3614]

It’s kinda sad how so many people take what historical figures wrote about themselves at face value. I’m not denying that it went down somewhat along these lines but it’s always a good rule of thumb to be skeptical of anything someone writes about their own actions because things that make the writer look good will be embellished or sometimes even made up and things that make the writer look bad will be downplayed or sometimes even left out entirely.

[@hansupk8155]

Totally Agree.

[@bencopeland3560]

I don’t dispute this point in the abstract however, without sufficient rigor and precaution, this sentiment opens the door to revisionists whose sins are far greater than that of literalism

[@duckhawkninja3614]

@@bencopeland3560 It’s not necessarily revisionism that’s the issue. When done properly, revisionism is a necessary response to new findings in archaeology, anthropology, and history that contradict the current narrative. In history the narrative must fit the evidence not the other way around and if new evidence doesn’t fit the current narrative adjustments must be made accordingly. It’s when revisions are made without any evidence to back those revisions up that it becomes a problem.

[@bencopeland3560]

@@duckhawkninja3614 The latter type of revisionism you mention is the type I'm referring to. That's what I meant by "without sufficient rigor and precaution". Most typically, what we see along these lines is revisionists who apply a modern intersectional political ideology that bisects all historical events into a narrative of oppressor/oppressed and views their role as a historian to "remedy" the past rather than merely report on it. On this topic someone like Matthew Restall is a good case in point.

[@duckhawkninja3614]

@@bencopeland3560 Thete certainly is some of that going on with the woke movement. That being said I wouldn’t say that the curriculum I grew up with was all that much better than the 1619 project. If anything it seems 1619 is the result of people taking college history courses and learning about things Americas overly patriotic public education system intentionally didn’t teach them. Certainly not a good way of correcting the half truths and omissions that were spoon fed to us in the name of patriotism but I get how it came to this and it seems the 1776 Project that’s been proposed as an alternative does nothing but double down on all the problems that led to 1619 in the first place.

[@tehgankerer]

Wow a video where 'Cortés' is actually spelt correctly. I'm impressed!

[@ndrocefalo]

"CorteS"

[@nonochanyeppoyo2490]

Two nights ago I slept while listening to your voice. Your voice is like a lullaby.

[@mr3366]

Talk about giving the kingdom away. Cortez must of been salivating hearing this and trying to stay composed

[@mikicerise6250]

I'm sure he was. He was being pursued by the Spanish authorities and trying to figure out how to entrench himself and now had the opportunity to present them with whole empire on a silver plate.

[@j.m.w.5064]

Did you actually yawn at 1:18 when he descends from the horse? 🙃

[@vinrusso821]

It was the allied tribes of Cortez that was able to subdue the Aztecs. Aztecs were the dreaded enemy of the neighboring tribes, and Cortez had 50,000 to 70,000 warriors. There were only 300-500 Spaniards, 100,000 Aztecs.

[@joselugo4536]

The lineage of Moctezuma is alive, wonder how many Native Peoples lineages were respected by the British Crown, such as the Tasmanians.

[@goodaimshield1115]

@Marcelo Henrique Soares da Silva Thing is, it was not even about devide. It was more so the opposite. Cortés united several tribes against a common enemy.

[@George-ur8ow]

@@joselugo4536 didnt cortez impregnate montezuma's daughter, but would not marry her? I think that's how the lineage survived?

[@joselugo4536]

Not only with Cortés, Isabel de Moctezuma was married several times, there are two thousand descendants.

[@George-ur8ow]

@@joselugo4536 interesting! Ill look more into this. Thanks!

[@sergiolobato1798]

In Catholic school, one of the nuns was Spanish and she used to tell us : Thanks to us you're wearing shoes! we were always puzzled by this assurtion because we had seen drawings of Aztecs wearing sandals ! We dared not ask for clarity for the possibility of reciving a smack in the mouth by her saintly cold hand. Ah simpler times!

[@_ata_3]

Que triste que tantos años después algunos sigan pensando que ellos mismos (en este caso la monja) son superiores. La monja seguro no inventó nada, ni siquiera podría haber hecho unos zapatos aún con instrucciones.

[@roblockhart6104]

Sort of ironic considering how around 1492, the Spanish had just been fully liberated from more than 700 years of Islamic rule by the moors and berbers in Europe. Something a lot of Europeans don't like to talk about. It seems the Islamic conquest of Africa, Asia, the mideast, and Europe left a lasting impression on them.

[@H0DLTHED0R]

Yea that Islam is evil and must be dealt with right away. Somebody tell france and England

[@crimson1453]

Wdym? Here in Spain we literally go over the history of Al-Andulus extensively to the point that it's part of our university exams 🤔

[@bczarrockbeast6264]

This is so enlightening. First hand accounts are so much more factual usually and at least much more entertaining.

[@VoicesofthePast]

Yes!

[@bvillafuerte765]

Good video.

[@user-or7ji5hv8y]

Can you provide context as well? That would add insight to hearing the original, which is revealing as well.

[@Jay121]

More, please.

[@zacktube100]

Montezuma's speech about his subordinates rebelling reminded me of Evil Betty from Kung, "People say that I do things that are not correct to do."

[@adamburke1088]

Love these videos, but what is/are the source? Is it listed some where?

[@markhedger6378]

Read Cortez and Montezuma ,the description of the battle at the end is terrifying!

[@iksarguards]

“Bring the gold or I’ll bring the pain” - Hernán Cortés

[@heathenfire]

I don't know , but some parts of this, sound like they were cooked up by Cortez to justify their conquest. Montezuma sounds a little too subservient isn't it?

[@juanmam.2113]

Well, welcome to history

[@rodolfogonzalez724]

Yup, but not only to legitimy the conquest, but also to demostrate to Charles V that he was doing a "correct" procedure in order to reclaim Tenochtitlan for the spanish crown

[@slyrooster1241]

So I've read both the Aztec and Spanish version of how all this went down. It is correct that there was a certain wayabout making this legal for the Spanish crown to vassalize the Aztecs. But also Moctezuma was genuinely interested in the Spanish because they got to the Capitol despite moctezuma's lavish bribes to make them go away, and the Spanish ability to defeat the rebellious vassals what's such a small amount of manpower. I really love hearing about how the new world met the old world it's probably one of the only instances where a civilization came into contact with another civilization at this level and scope.

[@cv4809]

It does sound suspicious but I've heard that the Aztecs actually believed that they were descendants of foreigners who had come there from east

[@hrantk2060]

Sounds like it; however he could have been trying to deceive Cortez into letting his guard down and later on be attacked by native armies within the confines of the city

[@WillyOrca]

Montezuma: *lifts up robe* LOOK at me. Cortés: Okay, that's enough. Guys, get the handcuffs please.

[@potita24]

Cortes told Moctezuma "My people have a desease that can only be cured with gold"

[@mrrrokas]

Montezumas account of their desendence is so knowledgeble

[@jayasuryangoral-maanyan3901]

montezuma was a very courteous host then... that's very nice

[@darknation6174]

Not so nice for the fortune of his people

[@konradvonschnitzeldorf6506]

If he was less of a slimey asslicker there would be more Atztecs today...

[@supremeleader9440]

@@konradvonschnitzeldorf6506 he had too since the empire got so big and they did diplomacy

[@ebervaliusahau2289]

@@konradvonschnitzeldorf6506 It wasn't his personal fault. He was just following the traditional Nahua etiquette and protocols. Of course, it didn't end well, but Montezuma was a very qualified ruler (before becoming an emperor, he was a Calmecac teacher and also a general), much more than we give him credit for, because the conquest fiasco damaged his reputation very much.

[@Popperite]

I like your moniker

[@edoedo8686]

Excellente!

[@iksarguards]

You never tell my boy Hernán that you got gold. Boy, you fucked up.

[@kevinhatchett2021]

interesting that the baby eater is pictured as benevolent and the Christian is depicted as evil. we live in bizzaro world.

[@-__._._.__-]

How did they speak to each other, how did they find translators that spoke both languages

[@dedlede777]

Via La Malinche

[@JuanRamos-yw6me]

Spanish conquistadors sometimes took natives and taught them Spanish so they could work as "lenguas", translators to aid them in diplomatic affairs

[@Valebare]

Cortes was accompanied by a woman who understood the Aztec language, she would translated to Mayan, and then a Spanish man who knew Mayan would translated to Spanish.

[@juanbermudez6489]

Valebare Not Mayan. Aztecs spoke náhuatl. Mayan was spoken by the Mayans located south of Mexico. Two different cultures.

[@mistah6898]

No, he's right she did at first report back in Mayan to a man who spoke Spanish and Mayan who reported in Spanish to Cortés. Eventually that translator who spoke Mayan and Aztec learned Spanish as well and the Mayan/Spanish speaker was cut out of the system

[@TragoudistrosMPH]

3:30 who made this art, or when?

[@duyo96]

how can i find this music at the end of clip?

[@cordovalark5295]

There's one thing that confuses me; is how Montezuma thought the Spanish were gods? They weren't the first Spaniards the Aztecs met, that belongs to a Conquistador named Juan de Grijalva who met the first Aztec delegation from Montezuma in 1518, surely they went back and told of the encounter to Montezuma since they exchanged goods when they met and after that Juan de Grijalva left and went back to Cuba. That's how Cortes learned of the location...

[@jokuvaan5175]

Also take into account that this is Cortez's version of the story that he probably told back in Spain so... he might have colored the story "a bit"

[@Rajj854]

Cortes was apprehensive that the next ships from Spain would carry a warrant for his arrest. He did not want Montezuma to surrender the kingdom to him as that would make it easy for Spain to replace him. He wanted a violent confutation that would give his allies a hold on Aztec territory and make his own position as a holder of the reins on power secure.

[@MonkeyWhoWouldBeKing]

This is haunting to hear read out, given context

[@lowwprofile]

Any recommendations on where I can find historical sources like these? I am trying to buy physical books on the collected writings of historical people like Hernan Cortez, James Cook, etc. Any good websites or publishers that anyone can recommend to me?

[@niccolorichter1488]

You just Google IT and would be able to buy IT But if you want some ancient or medieval sources i could give you links fór free

[@rfjohns4452]

Bernal Diaz Del Castillo a soldier with Cortez wrote the defining book covering well exactly what happened as he was there whereas other writers were inaccurate. Diaz long life made him realize that truth no matter how bad it was must be heard. Guttenberg site has his writings.

[@darbyohara]

Probably one of the best accounts of that period even if it is potentially tainted by selective omissions

[@GunterThePenguinHatesHugs]

If the translation was indeed accurate and unbiased, I find it fascinating how humble, down to earth, and human Montezuma was in his dialogue with Cortes, unlike the pompous and holier-than-thou European rulers.

[@funkyfiss]

I would recommend you read plutarchs book On the Face Which Appears in the Orb of the Moon, often called simply De Facie. It goes into detail how Ancient Greeks would go to Brittan, Ireland and Scotland every 30 years before they would make the trip to Greenland. Greenland according to the ancient Greeks is the place where Cronos is buried. From there they would island hop and make it all the way to Canada. Yes! Greeks were visiting the Americas before the Vikings got there. Plutarch writes it so. According to Plutarch the trip could only be made every 30 years because that is when the stars would align correctly to be used for navigation. They would dig for gold and copper. Which coincides with the "copper culture" found in Canada's lake superior. They said the people were followers of the old religion that of Cronos which also included human sacrifice. And every 30 years a new high priest needed to be brought to them. Could have Montezuma based on the information that was given to him mistaken the Spaniards for the Greeks?

[@nonyabeeznuss304]

montezuma: "hey fam, me case su casa, take whatever you want, its all yours!" cortez: "what if I just wanna kill you and sack your city?" montezuma: "wat...." cortez: "nothing, forget I said anything.... Hey, Is that real gold?"

[@stayrospaparunas3062]

Interesting....

[@drewstead316]

You can learn like as little as 50 words in a language and communicate with people, but this direct quote from Cortez himself makes it sound like there was in-depth conversation going on.

[@Obese_Pterodactyl]

He had a translator.

[@bvillafuerte765]

⁠@@Obese_Pterodactyl Correction: Two translators (Doña Marina and Gerónimo de Aguilar).

[@demiansolis]

"Even though in the 16th century the majority of the population of Spain was illiterate, they understood that when Cortes conquered Mexico, a new empire had been born..." I think this phrase taken from the Spanish film "1898, the last men from the Philippines" summarizes well what the conquest of Ancient Mexico got to represent for the 16th century Spaniards: the cornerstone of their global empire. When Cortes founded Mexico City on top of the ruins of the Mexica capital (Tenochtitlan) his master, the Emperor Charles V, granted Mexico City the nobility title of Imperial City. By doing that, the Emperor Charles acknowledged the superiority of the Mexica Kingdom over other indigenous peoples recently conquered (like the Taino people from the Caribbean) and the relevance of its former capital, Tenochtitlan. It is important to highlight that Cortes did everything in his power to prevent the destruction of the Mexica capital at the hands of his indigenous allies. He could not stop them. They hated the Aztecs way too much.

[@bvillafuerte765]

Corrections: 15th century and several civilizations allied with the Spanish were Aztecs.

[@englishgrammar3298]

@@bvillafuerte765 Charles V was not Spanish, he was born and spent most of his life in Belgium. He didn't even speak a word of Spanish. Spain was just a lowly colony, a rather backward province, of the much larger Holy Roman Empire. Cortes was a Spanish servant of that Empire, one ruled from the Palace of Coudenberg in Brussels. When Charles retired in 1517, to enjoy the warmer climate of Spain, the centre of power was still in Brussels. The backward Spanish would never have been able to conquer the Aztec and Inca Empires so quickly without the resources of the Holy Roman Empire behind them. On Charles' death the Holy Roman Empire was split into two, between his son and his brother, and so only then was the Spanish Empire, or Western Holy Roman Empire, born but that was after the main conquests in the Americas. It was Roman Empire under the Habsburgs who conquered the Aztecs and Incas, and definitely not the Spanish .

[@Magformerbattlebots]

In the end,we will still never know what his revenge truly was 😔

[@IronCavalier]

Many of the pictures show the Aztecs as too European. Are there any good physical descriptions of them and not just what they wore? Just wondering if they said, they had ____ skin, similar to the island natives, but darker/lighter/.... etc.

[@miketacos9034]

That's one heck of a prophecy.

[@clumsiii]

"Look out mama there's a white boat coming up the river" - Neil Young, "Powderfinger"

[@vitabricksnailslime8273]

This must surely rank as one of the most self serving accounts of all time.

[@ralphtroan]

Yes, rank it is. History is written by the victors. Good historians don't just accept what is written but dig deeper. This sweet-sounding acount reeks of cultural propanganda, and is based on just enough snippets of actual events to seem true. It's just a story, that's all. Good idea not to just believe anything you hear because it sounds good. Graham Hancock wrote a series of books --War God-- on the clash of the cultures and ensuing disaster for the native peoples of what is now Mexico and surrounding areas. He researched well and wrote a fictional story that resounds with more 'truth' than this glamorized account. Apparently there were close to 30,000,000 inhabitants in that rich land when the Spanish arrived. Twenty years later approximately 90% were wiped out by disease and thousands were enslaved. . .I've read that in a number of books, so I can't verify it personally, but you can check for yourself. That's my two cents worth for now. . .

[@goodaimshield1115]

Actually, no. Aztec version is quite similar, though of course it does talk about moctezuma's secret intentions to lure the Spaniards (possible enemies) close. Better keep your enemies close so you can control them and see what they're doing. But obviously, Spaniards wouldn't know about it.

[@ShaferHart]

0:31 was Plato their city planner?

[@philo3838]

Do Amarna letters please

[@sporovid5856]

Very convenient that Montezuma immediately recognized the Spanish as the “rightful sovereigns” of the Aztec Empire. Let us not forget who this account was written by…

[@Obese_Pterodactyl]

True. Also the part about him saying they were descendants of another race who interbred with the indigenous. True or false it's crazy. I was under the impression that the Aztec's official origin story according to them was them coming out of a cave in the north and migrating south till they founded Tenochtitlan.

[@anirudh177]

@@Obese_Pterodactyl yeah, the 7 caves of Chichomoztoc in Aztlan. From which supposedly the Xochimilca, Tepanec, Colhua, Tlahuica, Tlaxcalteca, Mexica and the Chalca emerged and migrated.

[@Crafty_Spirit]

I feel like I can't be sure if anything Cortez claims is true apart from the meeting happening... can't imagine him to be an honest person

[@prigual2901]

Hi, and why not ? Alexander the Great or Caesar were then honest ?

[@Crafty_Spirit]

@@prigual2901 Ha I am quite certain they inserted lies and distortions in their accounts

[@drdebanjanbasak-pr7rx]

Love story of Cortez with Aztec girl.. impressive.. finding girl friend in new world... Amazing stuff

[@deona267]

This account is so much different then what I read , or learned in school

[@timetravellerregisteredtra850]

should definitely make the opening music even louder. not annoying at all.

[@trailtrs1]

A very interesting reading of Cortez’s diary. A completely different view of history than the “revisionist” anti-western civilization history we have been taught. Taken directly from Cortez’s journal itself. The Aztecs believed that they came from somewhere over the ocean and were NOT NATIVE to Mexico or the Americas at all. This is why they recognized Cortez as a representative from where they originally came from. The official head of the BIA native blood registry for natives in the USA (Mitchel Bush) told me years ago that The Aztecs were not of the same bloodline as the American native peoples (either South, Central, or North American native bloodlines). He theorized that they came from the West along the 23rd Parallel possibly from Tahiti, Hawaii, or the Other Polynesian Islands. This is an interesting piece of that historical puzzle, and explains a lot of things that Cortez found in his trips, artifacts further recorded in his journal like Roman Coins found in the eye sockets of idols in the Aztec communities. Cortez’s diary fills a huge gap in the historical record and explains a lot concerning how so many descendants of Aztec people end up with European blood on their DNA test as origin markers. ADH

[@mikicerise6250]

The Mexica did not just believe they were not native, they were not native. They and their neighbours agreed on that much. But of course they most likely were simply descendants from North American tribes in the south of what is today the US.

[@ayoutuberonyoutube554]

About how long after this meeting, did they started fighting.

[@himarik4609]

Where can I find this, but in Spanish?

[@Gerald.69]

Love to see all the keyboard historians in the comments debating a first hand account of the person who was there. Lol.

[@jeffreysalvador7076]

Yea I doubt he said that... remember history is written by the winners

[@JamesTaylor-on9nz]

@Quodlibeta Based

[@christosvoskresye]

That's why we ONLY know about the destruction of Jerusalem from the writings of the Babylonians. Oh, wait.

[@dickbison]

You can hear his own account on this very channel. My understanding hearing both is he was losing power, his empire was crumbling and becomming a vassal would give him powerful allies to crush the rebels.

[@joaquinandreu8530]

There are several accounts of several witnesses. You can read them if you can overcome your bigotry and hate, Jeffrey.

[@jeffreysalvador7076]

@@joaquinandreu8530 those are some serious accusations sir. Mind your mouth.

[@psallen5099]

Cortes spoke to us and reminded us of certain good and holy doctrines and said “how can we ever accomplish anything worth doing if for the honor of God we do not first abolish these human sacrifices made to the idols? And he told us all to be ready to fight should the Indians try to prevent us; but even if it cost us our lives the idols must come to the ground that very day”. From the book “The History of the Conquest of New Spain” by Bernal Diaz the last surviving conquistador under Cortez

[@mrblock1318]

Aztecs: "So our prophecy says that you are our rules from Afar." Spanish: "You gonna make it this easy? umm... yes... yes we are the chosen."

[@jackgraeme3557]

Almost sounds like this historical account was written by a conqueror.

[@tach1794]

There are two histories about this meet, Aztec and Spanish, both say the same history, the unique difference between both is the way that Montezuma die.

[@jackgraeme3557]

I did hear another version that had a bit of difference to it. It showed signs of trepidation on the part of Montezuma, but submission just the same. Cortes, of course, wouldn't bring that up. If you show up anywhere with overwhelming violent technology and demand obedience, you'll probably get it. And, the "spoils" system says that if you submit without terms, I'm legally entitled to all your stuff and get to tell you how to do everything from now on, including writing your own history.

[@ReapingTheHarvest]

@@jackgraeme3557 Exactly, took me a while to find a comment from someone aware of how obvious this is.

[@jackgraeme3557]

Michael A Well, it can be hard for innocent-minded people to understand how power works.

[@chevychase3103]

Almost! LOL

[@javkhlanbaatarkhuu4271]

Who was their translator?

[@jjgf8412]

La malinche,a woman taken by the spaniards who learnt spanish,very controversial figure un Latinoamérica

[@GreatLake-Blake]

@@jjgf8412 thank you

[@kyomademon453]

@Frostmourne she was a mayan slave gave to cortes by the aztecs, she fell in love with him and was a key figure in the conquest of tenochtitlan, some hate her for "betraying" the native side, others praise her for giving birth to the mestizo race and culture in mexico

[@rodrigomejia953]

Jj Gf well, if by Latinamerica you mean Mexico, yeah, she’s controversial in the entire subcontinent.

[@joselugo4536]

Why controversial? That she betrayed the people that enslaved her in the first place?

[@islandnites]

When _The Epic Loosers_ are introduced to us in few short months - we will find ourselves in the shoes of Montezuma and the Aztec people of antiquity. Will we behave as they did in that time? Will we have learned a valuable lesson from history?

[@ttvdinoalf6063]

Where can I find Cortez’s memoirs