3. Where have all the Aztecs gone? Mexico and Texas during the Spanish Exploration of the 16 th Century
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Editor's Notes
Christopher Columbus – 1492, searched for new route to Asia, landed in America (Caribbean islands) – news reached Spain
Hernan Cortes, February 1519, set sail from Cuba, , army of 500 on eastern coast of Mexico, learned of powerful Aztec Empire and launched march inland – picked up thousands of Native Americans bitter at Aztecs
Ruler of the Toltecs In Aztec mythology, Quetzalcoatl is not only is shown as a god but as the magical and very human lord of the highly revered Toltec people ( Nicholson 2001). In his human form Quetzalcoatl is known under the name Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl. Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl is rumored to be priest, magician, and lord to his people.
According to popular myth, the Aztecs thought that Cortes was Quetzalcoatl returning from the west (Gonzalez and Read 2000). Stories suggest that Motecuhzoma II could not decide if Cortes was Quetzalcoatl or not. Stories also suggest that people believed that he was Quetzalcoatl and would lead them into a new golden age.
Hernan Cortez and his men crushed the Aztec empire and its people, and placed them into virtual slavery. The wars exacted a substantial toll, but it was the subsequent disease that was the worst. In some areas 80% of the population died from smallpox, of which the indigenous peoples had no natural immunity for. (Diego Rivera, 1951, Palacio Nacional in Ciudad de México).
