Captives and Cousins:
It seems that the people really value the honor of men. "Whether you accept a job for fifty cents or ten dollars, you must do it well thoroughly", signifies its importance in the communities. Regardless amount of wages they receive, they must fulfill their duties willingly. That’s where the honor of the job lays which I kind of agreeing. It is also mentioned that the number of captives and ransom of sacred symbols: child and women, connotes their degree of honor. It eventually became a competition between the men. In the text, los Comanche people exchanged the sacred child of the villagers, referred as the Christ child, to regain the daughter of the leader and they also received ransom from the daughter's captivity. This relates to the concept of honor as well as ritual of exchange and redemption which were once significant during the colonial era. However, I feel a bit angry when they considered children and women particularly as their object of honor; as a possession. They were "crucial products of violent economic exchange." From a positive side, maybe they think that children and women were valuable but in a negative it exhibits inequalities between men and women. We can relate what we learned in class, in which women were used as tributes to the colonizer or other parties. Maybe that's the reason La Malinche volunteered (I'm not sure if I can use this words) to be the translator for Cortes although people viewed her as a betrayer. She didn't feel any sense of belonging in her communities. She was only an object for exchange!
From Cantares mexicanos:
The poems were written from a commoner perspective and picture the destruction of Aztecs Empire. We can actually envision the sufferings and the fall of Aztecs Empire. "Our cries grief rise up and our tears rain down". They were sad as they lost the war; maybe because the honor of men they really valued? The Aztecs left their city and it was in flames. Maybe, their houses, possessions were burnt and the people were killed to make the great empire admit defeat. Their ruler (Cuauhtemoc) and princes were kept as captives. Besides, I believe that they didn't have source of food and water because of the war. "The water has turned bitter, our food is bitter". Or does it have any figurative meanings? They also lives in poverty. The writer said that all the tragedies and disasters were the acts of the "Giver of Life" which I assume the God. Aztecs people asked if the God were angry with them or had grown weary. The Aztecs might think that their human sacrifices weren't enough. But I don't understand what the second last stanza means. Is the Captain-General refers to the colonizer? And if my assumption is true, is the niece betrayed her nation or did she become a tribute to the Spain? Any opinions?
From the Codex Mendoza:
I actually think that the figures about their hierarchy system, the tributes and map of the city were pictured and explained very well. This record was produced with the cooperation of Mendoza and the indigenous artists to depict the city. By reading the explanations and looking at the figure of the political system, we can see that how captives plays an important role to escalate an army's ranking. It also signifies the power they have. Then, the map of Tenochtitlan, we can imagine how smart the engineers choosing a strategic location and constructing the city. It was enclosed by the lake which is very strategic to get plenty supply of water and it is hard for the enemy to invade the city. This is a good primary source to learn the history of Mexico city without being distorted by bias or specifically a Euro centric view.
Letter to Charles V:
This letter is very exaggerated and only serves the purpose to boast about Cortes and his accomplishment. It doesn't seem to be a credible source to learn about the indigenous people. since it's a one sided view. Through the early part of the letter when Cortes described Mexico, we can see how he exaggerated the geography saying it was similar to Spain. Also, there were plenty natural resources avail in it. He wanted to show that he accomplished the mission extremely well. However, the latter part of the letter, he condemned the Aztecs people saying that they were barbarous by doing human sacrifices to their god. And, the Aztecs needed help from the Spain "to send the Gospel to these barbarian people."Yes, human sacrifices is a brutal act but it was part of their religion. We can't do anything about it. Besides, even if they were barbarous and brutal, they were advance in their technology: for instance, recycling system and structures of the city. They had a systematic hierarchy system and were once one of the greatest Empire in the history.
It seems that the people really value the honor of men. "Whether you accept a job for fifty cents or ten dollars, you must do it well thoroughly", signifies its importance in the communities. Regardless amount of wages they receive, they must fulfill their duties willingly. That’s where the honor of the job lays which I kind of agreeing. It is also mentioned that the number of captives and ransom of sacred symbols: child and women, connotes their degree of honor. It eventually became a competition between the men. In the text, los Comanche people exchanged the sacred child of the villagers, referred as the Christ child, to regain the daughter of the leader and they also received ransom from the daughter's captivity. This relates to the concept of honor as well as ritual of exchange and redemption which were once significant during the colonial era. However, I feel a bit angry when they considered children and women particularly as their object of honor; as a possession. They were "crucial products of violent economic exchange." From a positive side, maybe they think that children and women were valuable but in a negative it exhibits inequalities between men and women. We can relate what we learned in class, in which women were used as tributes to the colonizer or other parties. Maybe that's the reason La Malinche volunteered (I'm not sure if I can use this words) to be the translator for Cortes although people viewed her as a betrayer. She didn't feel any sense of belonging in her communities. She was only an object for exchange!
From Cantares mexicanos:
The poems were written from a commoner perspective and picture the destruction of Aztecs Empire. We can actually envision the sufferings and the fall of Aztecs Empire. "Our cries grief rise up and our tears rain down". They were sad as they lost the war; maybe because the honor of men they really valued? The Aztecs left their city and it was in flames. Maybe, their houses, possessions were burnt and the people were killed to make the great empire admit defeat. Their ruler (Cuauhtemoc) and princes were kept as captives. Besides, I believe that they didn't have source of food and water because of the war. "The water has turned bitter, our food is bitter". Or does it have any figurative meanings? They also lives in poverty. The writer said that all the tragedies and disasters were the acts of the "Giver of Life" which I assume the God. Aztecs people asked if the God were angry with them or had grown weary. The Aztecs might think that their human sacrifices weren't enough. But I don't understand what the second last stanza means. Is the Captain-General refers to the colonizer? And if my assumption is true, is the niece betrayed her nation or did she become a tribute to the Spain? Any opinions?
From the Codex Mendoza:
I actually think that the figures about their hierarchy system, the tributes and map of the city were pictured and explained very well. This record was produced with the cooperation of Mendoza and the indigenous artists to depict the city. By reading the explanations and looking at the figure of the political system, we can see that how captives plays an important role to escalate an army's ranking. It also signifies the power they have. Then, the map of Tenochtitlan, we can imagine how smart the engineers choosing a strategic location and constructing the city. It was enclosed by the lake which is very strategic to get plenty supply of water and it is hard for the enemy to invade the city. This is a good primary source to learn the history of Mexico city without being distorted by bias or specifically a Euro centric view.
Letter to Charles V:
This letter is very exaggerated and only serves the purpose to boast about Cortes and his accomplishment. It doesn't seem to be a credible source to learn about the indigenous people. since it's a one sided view. Through the early part of the letter when Cortes described Mexico, we can see how he exaggerated the geography saying it was similar to Spain. Also, there were plenty natural resources avail in it. He wanted to show that he accomplished the mission extremely well. However, the latter part of the letter, he condemned the Aztecs people saying that they were barbarous by doing human sacrifices to their god. And, the Aztecs needed help from the Spain "to send the Gospel to these barbarian people."Yes, human sacrifices is a brutal act but it was part of their religion. We can't do anything about it. Besides, even if they were barbarous and brutal, they were advance in their technology: for instance, recycling system and structures of the city. They had a systematic hierarchy system and were once one of the greatest Empire in the history.
