Why The Diaz Account Is Sugar Coated And Biased?

Why the Diaz account is sugar coated and biased

Throughout history, many events that have occurred had either been inevitable or contingent. Contingency is an important concept to allow historians to understand and investigate why these events occur. A major issue that occurs with this, is bias and sugar coating the truth. In historical context, many of the conquered are not given as much as representation as the victor, as proven with the Broken Spears account which is the point of view of the Aztecs. Between the two accounts that are being analyzed, the conquest of “New Spain” (Mexico) which is the Diaz account had been sugar coated, biased and unreliable, in the point of view of the Spaniards.

One of the main reasons the Spaniards arrived

The culture of both the Aztecs and Spaniards have similarities, as many different groups of people do. A main theme that was insinuated between both accounts into the culture of the two groups was respect of authority. “When Motecuhzoma had given necklaces to each one, …” “Then he stood up to welcome Cortes; he came forward, bowed his head low …” (Broken Spears 608). Not only did king motecuhzoma/Montezuma show hospitality to his guests, but his guests showed respect by bowing their heads. “When Cortes saw, heard, and was told that the great Montezuma was approaching, he dismounted from his horse, and when he came near to Montezuma each bowed deeply to the other … Cortes, I think, offered Montezuma his right hand, but Montezuma refused and extended his own. Then Cortes brought out a necklace which he had been holding. It was made of those elaborately worked and coloured glass beads called margaritas, and was strung on a gold cord and dipped in musk to give it a good odour. This he hung round the great Montezuma’s neck, as he did so attempted to embrace him. But the great princes who stood round Montezuma grasped Cortes’ arm to prevent him, for they considered this an indignity” (Diaz 600). This shows the similarity between the two cultures of respect for elders, guests and or authority, however a difference that was shown in the Diaz account was the fact that Cortes tried to

“The Spaniards examined everything they saw” (Broken Spears 609). “When the Spaniards were installed in the palace, they asked Montezuma/Motecuhzoma about the city’s resources and reserves and about the warriors’ ensigns and shields. They questioned him closely and then demanded gold. Motecuhzoma guided them to it. They surrounded him and crowded close with their weapons. He walked in the center, while they formed a circle around him. When they arrived at the treasure house called Teucalco, the riches of gold and feathers, richly worked shields, disks of gold, the necklaces of the idols, gold nose plugs, gold greaves, and bracelets and crowns. The Spaniards immediately stripped the feathers from the gold shields and ensigns. They gathered all the gold into a great mound and set fire to everything else, regardless of its value. Then they melted down the gold into ingots. As for the precious green stones, they took only the best of them; the rest were snatched up by the Tlaxcaltecas. The Spaniards searched through the whole treasure house, questioning and quarreling and seized every object they thought was beautiful” (Broken spears 610) These two pieces of evidence show how the Spaniards came in search of treasures and to only