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Quetzalcoatl's revenge

The Aztecs would have been far better off if they'd disbelieved the predictions that a fair skinned god would come out of the ocean.

You wrote:
Some person in the Aztec civilisation might have thought that there was a possibility that someone would come across the ocean, and that they should have prepared for that event.
But guys like you probably ridiculed them. Or the other crown who assumed they would be benevolent "gods".

With enough ridicule, maybe the story wouldn't have reduced Aztec morale when Cortes showed up. Sometimes it's better to consider what's best for the present and not in one of all the hypothetical futures.

A couple of points I like.
First, Cortes had to get the job done quickly. He had to burn the boats that brought him and his small army from Cuba in order to prevent then from returning.
Also, not long after what became Mexico City was taken, troops sent by his father-in-law, the Governor of Cuba, were landed to arrest Cortes. The old gent feared Cortes would exceed his instructions and try to conquer Mexico if he weren't controlled.
After that battle Tenochtitlan had to be captured all over again.

Second, the primary source of the legend of Quetzalcoatl's expected return was... Cortes himself. The indigenous people knew various stories of Q's departure, but the return was pretty vague. No widespread, prominent retelling of a legend predicting a date.

My favorite version was recounted by a Spaniard named Duran, of suspect veracity. Let me summarize:
Quetzalcoatl is coming back, and he's coming back pi$$ed.

Posted by: Anton Philidor   Posted on: 12/28/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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