I watched a show last night on Easter Island. You’ve probably seen it or one like it. They figured out that the island was stripped of its trees and basically ruined prior to the Europeans showing up and that they ate each other. But at the end we learned that just as they were figuring out how to co-exist, the most horrific thing happened, the Europeans showed up. I’m sure it did do some bad things. But it made me cranky. I mean we had just learned that they were killing and eating each others in huge numbers but the Europeans killing 16 of them on the first encounter was the most horrible thing ever.
On the general subject you’ve brought up there, I’m a big fan of Cortez, personally. He was pretty spot on with his handling of the Aztecs.