Aztecs vs The Spanish
Savage or Civilized: Aztecs vs The Spanish
Imagine what it would of been like if the Aztecs won the battle of 1519 against the
Spanish. Would present day Mexico be a lot more different than what it is today? Would of they have been more advanced or a lot more savage? During the past few couple of weeks
I’ve learned a lot about the Aztecs and Spanish and how the encounter of these two civilizations from different sides of the world affected the world that we live in now today. I was also able to compare the two civilizations closely and at the end answer the question: Which side was more savage and which side was more civilized? In this essay I will discuss the different aspects of each civilization and at the end why I chose Spain to be the more savage and the Aztecs to be the more civilized. I will start with the savage aspects first. The Aztecs were a very advanced and civilized civilization but they were also very religious which led them to doing some things that most people would say was greatly savage.They put other tribes under their control, and when they refused, they would kill them, but worst of all were their sacrifices and rituals which compared to the others which were happening all around the world, was far more serious and extensive. During these sacrifices they would bring the victim to the top of the temple/pyramid where they would rip the victims heart out and hold it up to the sun, as a sacrifice to the gods. After that they throw the victims body down the steps of the temple . The aztecs would sacrifice tens of thousands each year and in some occasions they would average 14 sacrifices per minute which I think is impossible.The
Aztecs held these ceremonies because their beliefs told them that if they didn’t feed the gods with human blood the sun wouldn’t rise the next day.They definitely didn’t want to take the risk of not doing the sacrifices if it meant that the world could possibly end and I definitely
understand
Imagine what it would of been like if the Aztecs won the battle of 1519 against the
Spanish. Would present day Mexico be a lot more different than what it is today? Would of they have been more advanced or a lot more savage? During the past few couple of weeks
I’ve learned a lot about the Aztecs and Spanish and how the encounter of these two civilizations from different sides of the world affected the world that we live in now today. I was also able to compare the two civilizations closely and at the end answer the question: Which side was more savage and which side was more civilized? In this essay I will discuss the different aspects of each civilization and at the end why I chose Spain to be the more savage and the Aztecs to be the more civilized. I will start with the savage aspects first. The Aztecs were a very advanced and civilized civilization but they were also very religious which led them to doing some things that most people would say was greatly savage.They put other tribes under their control, and when they refused, they would kill them, but worst of all were their sacrifices and rituals which compared to the others which were happening all around the world, was far more serious and extensive. During these sacrifices they would bring the victim to the top of the temple/pyramid where they would rip the victims heart out and hold it up to the sun, as a sacrifice to the gods. After that they throw the victims body down the steps of the temple . The aztecs would sacrifice tens of thousands each year and in some occasions they would average 14 sacrifices per minute which I think is impossible.The
Aztecs held these ceremonies because their beliefs told them that if they didn’t feed the gods with human blood the sun wouldn’t rise the next day.They definitely didn’t want to take the risk of not doing the sacrifices if it meant that the world could possibly end and I definitely
understand
Cited: . New York: Chelsea House, 1993. Print. . New York: Dorset Press, 1987. Print. . New York: Crabtree Publishing Company, 2006. Print.