'Butchered' thousands and thousands? LOL. Are you aware that as Cortez marched towards the Aztec capital he only had 400 men with him? Are you aware that Cortez was joined by thousands of local Indians who hated the Aztecs because they had been conquered and oppressed by them? Are you aware that the Aztecs were not only a child-killing people, but a brutal people of conquest who vanquished every other native tribe who stood in their way? Cortez and his 400 men conquered the great Aztec nation because the bitter enemies of the Aztecs fought with them.
Anyway, what have you got against European explorers taking on a massive tribe of barbarians who slaughter women and children in "sacrifice" to their pagan gods, to the tune of about 10,000 human sacrifices per year? The progenitors of the Aztecs should be greatful for Cortez and the Catholic Church, because it wasn't long after Cortez that the Catholic Church converted 9 million Aztecs to Christianity and brought them out of the bronze age into modernity. So think twice before claiming that Cortez "butchered thousands and thousands" of these child burning demoniacs. And don't let your erroneous sense of history and your public school brainwashing get the best of you.
The Spanish abused the natives in all sorts of horrifying ways. That is why Las Casas suggested that it would be more humane for them to import African slaves.
The conquest entailed the death of at least 75% of the native population, mostly through disease but also through maltreatment and violence.
The Aztecs were more modern than the Spanish in a number of respects. Their agriculture was much better. Tenochtitlan was a larger, more impressive and better designed city than any in Western Europe. Aztec art is also very impressive.
The Aztecs and the Spanish were both brutal civilizations. The Spanish were plenty barbaric - especially once they expelled the Jews and Muslims.
“The progenitors [you mean progeny] of the Aztecs should be greatful for Cortez and the Catholic Church, because it wasn’t long after Cortez that the Catholic Church converted 9 million Aztecs to Christianity...”
The Spanish method of saving souls was not a gentle, kind process, by the way. They would have been much better off if the Spanish hadn’t been so concerned.
The point is, the history of Mexico is not some black and white lesson where the good Europeans saved the ignorant brute natives from themselves.
This is just more black and white drivel that seems to permeate FR on a variety of topics.
Some Roman Catholic priests helped the Amerindians and fought for their rights. But they were the exception, and many of the early conquistadors were just about as cruel as the Aztecs, and subjugated far more people that the Aztecs did.
Are you aware that I'm probably better educated than you? I've read dozens of books on the Butchery of Cortez and he and the catholic church and Spain sealing all these people's gold. Tell the catholic church to give the money back and I'll re consider. Human sacrifice was practiced all over the know world before cortez, at one place are the other at different times in history, but I don't remember two many mass slaughters over it. Except for the ones written about in the old testament.
“’Butchered’ thousands and thousands? LOL. Are you aware that as Cortez marched towards the Aztec capital he only had 400 men with him? Are you aware that Cortez was joined by thousands of local Indians who hated the Aztecs because they had been conquered and oppressed by them? Are you aware that the Aztecs were not only a child-killing people, but a brutal people of conquest who vanquished every other native tribe who stood in their way? Cortez and his 400 men conquered the great Aztec nation because the bitter enemies of the Aztecs fought with them. “
Then those Indian tribes that helped Cortez found out their treatment under the Spandiards was worse then under the Aztecs.