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How Have Colonial Sources Shaped Our Understanding Of The Aztecs

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To What Extent Have Colonial Sources Shaped Our Understanding of the Aztecs

The Aztecs were a Mesoamerican civilization that existed between the 14th and 16th centuries. They were known for their remarkable achievements in agriculture, art, and architecture, among others. However, much of our understanding of the Aztecs comes from colonial sources, written by the Spanish conquistadors who invaded their civilization. In this essay, I will discuss to what extent colonial sources have shaped our understanding of the Aztecs.

Colonial sources provide valuable insights into the Aztec civilization, but they also reflect the biases and prejudices of the conquistadors, The Spanish were invaders who sought to conquer and dominate the Aztecs, and their accounts of the civilization reflect this objective. They often portrayed the Aztecs as savages and barbarians who engaged in human sacrifice and cannibalism. While human sacrifice was part of Aztec culture, it was not the only aspect of their civilization. The Spanish accounts tend to focus solely on this aspect of their culture, thereby distorting our understanding of the Aztecs. …show more content…

They did not acknowledge the remarkable achievements of the Aztecs in the fields of art, architecture, and agriculture. For instance, the Aztecs were renowned for their use of the chinampa system, a form of agriculture that involved building small rectangular plots of land on the marshy shores of lakes. This system allowed the Aztecs to grow crops on a large scale and was an essential factor in their success as a civilization. However, the Spanish accounts tend to focus on the negative aspects of Aztec culture and ignore their remarkable

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