Spanish Conquest Of Mexico Summary

The accounts of the Spanish conquest of Mexico are often Spanish and almost always "patently self-serving" (Hassig 3). They glorify the ideals of the groups that the authors represent and emphasize the improbability of the Spanish victories. They largely ignore the Native points of view of the conquest, due to both a smaller number of Native accounts and due to their own motives. However, Hassig presents a balanced narrative of the Spanish conquest of Mexico and considers the Native perspectives and motives from a practical point of view.
The first two Spanish expeditions to the New World were both violent and educational for the Natives and for the Spanish themselves. On Cordoba's expedition, Spanish accounts relate that they were ambushed by the Maya unprovoked, although Hassig gives the Natives the benefit of the doubt. He mentions that the Mayas may have had reason for concern when they saw the Spanish ships arrive due to
messages from other groups. The Mayas' concerns seemed to be confirmed as the Spanish went through the Yucatan visiting major Maya cities. However, though there may have been ulterior motives at play for the Spanish, there was also a practical aspect to their visits. Due to a lack of easily visible water sources, the Spanish had to stop at cities because cities indicated a nearby water source. These visits caused conflicts between the Maya and the Spaniards, often initiated by the Maya. A similar outcome was found in Grijalva's expedition, as the Maya attacked his Spanish forces after he took water from the city of Campeche. These conflicts present the relationship between the Maya and the Spanish as one in which neither side truly knew the intentions of the other. The attacks and the defenses seemed to be out of fear and desperation. But from these interactions, both the Spanish and the Natives learned much about each other and each other’s fighting styles. However, the story of Cortes' conquest is very different and involved offensives and interesting tactics from all parties.
Cortes manipulated the relationships between groups of Natives and advanced his own conquest.
Cortes became aware of the existing conflicts between the Aztecs and various other Natives, including the Totonacs. The Totonacs wanted freedom from their servitude to the Aztecs and showed Cortes that they were willing to support the Spanish cause. Cortes used this relationship between the Totonacs and Aztecs to play for both sides. He did his best to show the Aztecs that he was an ally until he explicitly fought against them, all while proving to the Totonacs that he supported their fight against the Aztecs. However, this relationship was only one of many with which Cortes involved himself. While some Spanish accounts depict Cortes' cunning as the primary reason for his success, some groups were involved only by necessity. Some Natives, like the Tlaxcallan, made agreements with Cortes because they had no other choices. Not every relationship was the result of Cortes’ wit and intellect, but rather many simply fell out of the events that
occurred.
Overall, for Hassig, the Spanish conquest was not as surprising and improbable as many accounts seem to say. The Spanish victories were not won simply by the character of Cortes and the Natives were not so severely outmatched and outclassed. The relationships between the Natives and the Spanish were not as clear-cut as they may seem in other accounts. There was a great deal of confusion between both groups regarding the motivations of the other. All in all, the Spanish conquest was an event that, although it took a great deal of strategy on both sides, can be explained rationally while giving a voice to the Natives.