27. The Myth That the Aztecs Thought the Spanish Were Gods
Most of us have probably come across a narrative that explains why the greatly outnumbered Spanish conquered the New World. Most common is the story that Hernan Cortes’ conquest of the Aztecs was eased by the fact that the locals and their ruler, Emperor Montezuma II, thought that he and his men were gods. That is a myth. It is true that the Aztecs were extremely religious, and had many notions that seem weird today. However, they were not so idiotically naïve that they believed that the Conquistadores were gods.
Montezuma, for example, was fully aware that the Spaniards who had landed in Mexico were humans who came from faraway lands. Indeed, he was sufficiently informed so as to know that Cortes had mounted his expedition without the consent of his sovereign, Charles V (Charles I of Spain). The Aztec ruler even tried to go over Cortes’ head, and attempted to negotiate directly with King Charles. He failed, but it is clear that Montezuma knew that he was faced with people, not gods.
