Since I will be out on Thursday because of a swim meet, here is my contribution to class:
Part 2: The Conquest "'Language has always been the companion of empire.'" (page 123) I think this quote kind of relates the blog post I just wrote about how the Spaniards defeated the Aztecs through signs. Language is the companion of the empire, when used right. Unfortunately for Montezuma, he chose silence as his weapon of destruction and lost the battle for his empire. Language proves to be the companion of the Spaniards because of their interpretation of Montezuma’s weakness. Todorov explores the conquest of the Aztec empire by the Spaniards led by Cortés. His framework that supports the Spaniards conquest of the Aztecs relies on hesitation within the Aztec leadership (Montezuma’s apparent silence), Cortés' exploitation of the natives, and the superiority and advancement of Spanish technology. Todorov attempts to find commonalities between the two groups by examining how the Aztecs and Cortez used ‘signs’. Throughout his explanation he is very careful not to label either sides method of communication as inferior or superior (Foreword), he suggests that it was the Spaniards communication methods that allowed for victory. First, the Aztecs communication with the world and god/heaven is far more important than interpersonal, interactive communication. This form of communication is also very ritualized meaning there is little spoken word and most ‘sign’s are external movements and communicative gestures. Dissimilarly, Cortés utilizes language as a tool for the manipulation of the ‘other’ whereas Columbus is a master of interpersonal communication (page 123). An entirely different problem is the fact that Montezuma thinks that Cortés is an Aztec god named Quetzalcoatl “returning to recover his kingdom” (page 117). Since the signs of the Aztecs are overwhelmingly used in religious rituals, this also shows Spaniard manipulation the Aztecs’ lack of understanding. One of the basic principles of the Spaniards ability to understand Aztec signs are the external motions that suggested the Spaniards were understood as Aztec gods. This perfectly converted the chance of Cortés’ arrival into legitimate Aztec scripture and allowed Cortés to rationalize the Aztecs’ own history.
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AuthorI'm Hannah Andress from Atlanta, GA! I am an SIS major and I am on the Women's Swim Team. I am interested in national security, policy making, and the Middle East as my country of interest! Archives
December 2018
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