The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico

Using the experience of the Aztecs as a model, explore how the tactics of the Spanish in Mexico were implemented more broadly in other colonies in the Americas. Consider too the patterns of resistance from other Indigenous Peoples in comparison to the Nahuas.

Why did Aztec king Motecuhzoma II not mount a resistance to the arrival of the Spanish? What knowledge was available to him and how did he use it?

Explore the themes of loyalty and treachery in Broken Spears. Were the Tlaxcaltecas were justified in their actions against the Cholula people in Chapter 4? If the Tlatelolcas had indeed betrayed the Aztecs in Chapter 14, would that justify their treatment? Does the threat of death or colonization exculpate ostensible traitors? Why or why not?