MMW 13 Chapter Notes - Chapter Reading: Florentine Codex, Tlaxcaltec, Otomi People
16 May 2018
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The 12th chapter of the Florentine Codex deals with the defeat of the Aztecs at
Tenochtitlan all the way from omens presaging the defeat of the empire to the actual sack of
Tenochtitlan. At first, the people believed that the Spaniards were the god Quetzalcoatl and they
paid the Spaniards respects, but Moctezuma ordered the people who had first encountered the
Spaniards to be silent about what they had seen. Then, gifts and messengers were sent to
Cortes and his men, and before the fifth chapter (the main text here), Cortes had intimidated the
messengers, challenging them to duel and showing off his better weapons.
Fifth chapter, where it is said what happened when Moteuczoma’s messengers went to
don Hernando Cortes’ boat
The messengers came to the boat bearing gifts from Moctezuma. They were the
traditional vestments of the gods and they brought Cortes four outfits, one of which they dressed
him with right there and the rest which they laid out before him. Cortes ordered them tied up and
then challenged them to fight saying that he had heard in Spain that they were very strong,
fierce warriors. He had shot off a cannon before and scared the messengers to the point of
fainting. He then gave the men lances, iron swords, and leather shields and told them to eat and
get ready. The messengers pled with him saying that it wasn’t their job to fight him and they only
came to bring the gifts as ordered. Cortes didn’t listen.
Turns out, the Spaniards didn’t hurt the messengers, but they did humiliate and scare them a
lot. The messengers went back to Moctezuma with the news and he got scared and sacrificed
people and cast spells on the Spaniards. Cortes meets Malinche and then goes on his way to
Tlaxcala. He meets some Otomi people and defeats them so quickly the Tlaxcalans decide to
negotiate with him rather than fight him. The Tlaxcalans did originally resist the Spaniards, but in
their account, they say the alliance was almost immediate. The Spaniards go to Cholula, a rival
of the the Tlaxcalans and massacre them, then continue on to Tenochtitlan. Moctezuma
continues to send them gifts, but this only makes the Spaniards want gold more.
Eleventh chapter, where is is said how the Spaniards reached Tlaxcala
The Spaniards went with the Tlaxcalans to Tlaxcala where they were treated as honored
guests. Noticing the Spaniards’ strength, the Tlaxcalans convinced them to kill the Cholulans,
the longtime enemies of the Tlaxcalans. They told the Spaniards that the Cholulans were evil
and just as strong as the Mexica. The Spaniards, the Tlaxcalans, and the Cempoalans went to
Cholula and tricked all the Cholulans into coming into a temple, then they blocked the exits and
killed all of them. The Cholulans were unarmed. Moctezuma heard about this and became
extremely scared and the common people also became scared. The Spaniards made their way
to Mexico, dressed in full armor with their dogs going ahead of them. The image of men in
gleaming armor scared the natives.
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Document Summary
The 12th chapter of the florentine codex deals with the defeat of the aztecs at. Tenochtitlan all the way from omens presaging the defeat of the empire to the actual sack of. At first, the people believed that the spaniards were the god quetzalcoatl and they paid the spaniards respects, but moctezuma ordered the people who had first encountered the. Spaniards to be silent about what they had seen. Cortes and his men, and before the fifth chapter (the main text here), cortes had intimidated the messengers, challenging them to duel and showing off his better weapons. Fifth chapter, where it is said what happened when moteuczoma"s messengers went to don hernando cortes" boat. The messengers came to the boat bearing gifts from moctezuma. They were the traditional vestments of the gods and they brought cortes four outfits, one of which they dressed him with right there and the rest which they laid out before him.
