Pathfinder
Statment of Purpose
The Aztecs were a vast empire supported by the tribute of conquered
peoples through the Yucatan and what is modern central and southern
Mexico. While it took them only 150 years to rise from tribe on the
brink extinction into the most opulent empire pre-Columbian America
ever saw, it took a handful of Spanish conquistadors only a little over
two years to subdue this great empire.
The purpose of my research paper was to learn about the practices of
Aztec warfare and in particular how this affected their fall from power
at the hands of Cortes and his 300 men. Though it was their military
prowess and heavy-handed style of rule that propelled the Aztecs to
such great wealth and power, it was these very things that ultimately
led to their downfall.
Primary Sources
Cortes, Hernan. Letters from Mexico. New Haven: Yale
University Press, 2001.
Though Cortes’ account is
extraordinarily biased, it is none the less is an absolutely invaluable
resource when learning about the Aztecs. His
letters recount the wonders of Aztec civilization and gives us a
look at this once great empire through the eyes of a European.
Duran, Fray Diego. The
History of the Indies of New Spain. Norman: University of
Oklahoma Press, 1994
Duran was a Dominican friar
born in Spain but raised in Mexico. He was fluent in the Aztec Nahuatl language and in this record written
fifty years after the conquest of Mexico he gives us a valuable look at
Aztec culture told by its own people. Though colored by his religious
views it is none the less a great resource.
Gomara, Fransisco Lopez De. Cortes: The Life of the
Conqueror by his Secretary. Berkley: University of California
Press, 1964.
The least useful and the most
biased of primary sources I’ve listed. Though his account does give
interesting accounts of Cortes’ life found nowhere else, the book is so
pro-Spanish it is hard to extract pertinent information about the Aztec.
Secondary Sources
Hassig, Ross. "Mesoamerica:
Warfare." Concise Encyclopedia of Mexico.
2001. 406-08. Academic Search Complete.
15 Apr. 2009.
Though short, this article is
extremely informative. Hassig is
considered to be an authority on Aztec warfare and his work is
carefully researched and well thought out. If this article piques your
interest, check out his book Aztec Warfare: Imperial Expansion and
Political Control.
http://library.austincc.edu/eresources/SubGen.htm
Search in “Academic Search Complete” for
“Aztec warfare” and you’ll find it on the first page.
Leon-Portilla,
Miguel. The
Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico. Boston:
Beacon Press, 1992.
This book is an excellent
resource of compiled indigenous resources. Though not listed as a
primary source due to the fact that Portilla
himself translated it, it should be considered one. This work provides
great insight into Aztec culture and thought, especially when read
alongside Spanish accounts of the conquest.
Mann, Charles C. 1491.
New York: Vintage Books, 2006.
Though this book only briefly
deals with the Aztecs, it paints a vivid picture of pre-Columbian
Americas. This backdrop helps to give a frame of reference for the
Aztec way of life and ultimately provides a reader with a better
understanding of how the conquest was accomplished.
Schmall, John P. "The Rise of the
Aztec Empire." Houston Institute of Culture. 20 Apr. 2009
A quick and dirty look at some
stats and facts about the Aztec empire. Though he tends to only cite
one or two sources when giving statistics it is still a nice synopsis.
I would suggest looking at the population estimates of other authors
alongside this.
http://www.houstonculture.org/mexico/aztecs.html
Schwartz, Stuart B. Victors
and Vanquished: Spanish and Nahua Views of
the Conquest of Mexico. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2000.
Another book that could be
listed under primary sources. The book is an account of the
conquest told from a number of different contemporary viewpoints. Each
chapter is prefaced by a short historical disclosure and then the
author provides alternating Spanish and indigenous accounts of events
and lets the reader do some of the thinking for themselves. An invaluable resource.
Townsend, Richard F. The
Aztecs. London: Thames and Hudson Ltd, 2000.
Townsend is thoroughly
researched and articulate. His forte lies in interpretation and
evaluation of Aztec art. Though this gives him interesting insights,
some of his views are at odds with other Mesoamerican historians and
anthropologists-Not necessarily a bad thing.
By John Graves