Todorov asked a very interesting question regarding the Spanish victory over the natives. "Did the Spanish defeat the Indians by means of signs?" The Spanish did have superior firepower and armor being guns, cannons, metal body armor and horses. What they also had on their side (in their minds) was g-d and a feeling of superiority The Spanish knew they had the upper hand when it came to military technology but they also knew that they were severely out numbered, Montezuma had many opportunities to defeat the conquistadors but didn't. The Spanish used the fact that the Aztecs based decision making and their future off of what soothsayers had to say, along with their faith and/or loyalty to the Kingdom of Spain to do whatever possible to conquer the Indians.
Trying to communicate with the Indians had been a problem since Columbus first arrived in the Caribbean when the locals referred to themselves as the "Cariba" meaning people of the Caribbean, Columbus heard "Caniba" which means people of the Khan. This little misunderstanding made Columbus think he was in Asia rather than the new world. Cortes also experienced a misunderstanding with the Montezuma, leader of the Aztec people. When they met on the shore Montezuma refused to speak and showed this by putting his hand over his mouth and bowing his head. The Spaniards saw this as a gesture of surrender. The Spanish probably figured this isn't surprising we know we're better than them, even though on the inside they were really scared.
In conclusion, my answer to Todorovs question is "Yes, yes signs helped the Spanish defeat the Indians." What I think helped them the most was their advanced technology that the Indians had never seen and their overall more worldly knowledge. My favorite example of how the Spanish demonstrated the superiority over the Indians was when they threatened the Indians that they would take the moon.
I agree with your analysis of linguistic and technological signs, but what about other cultural signs, such as the varying conceptions of time, humanity, and war between the Europeans and the American Indians? Personally, I see the Native Americans' cyclical conception of time to be an important factor in the success of Cortes. Because time repeats itself Montezuma assumed the Spanish invasion must have been foretold by the ancestors and spent significant time attempting to explain the invasion through history. This fixation with cyclical time lead Montezuma to conclude that the Spanish were the returned ancestors of the Toltecs, a previously conquered population that Montezuma may have assumed had the right to the land the Aztecs resided upon.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, I think the fact that neither of the two cultures had the capacity "to perceive the other's human identity" caused the two races to consistently misinterpret the actions and strategic moves of one another (76).
Finally, I think the differing understandings of war added to the downfall of the Aztec empire because unlike the traditional Aztec wars, which all resulted in finalizing treaties and reparations, the Spanish were operating on the end goal of total assimilation.