MOM 2006 journal for pdf.pmd - University of Michigan-Flint

eadily become Christians; it has seemed to me that they belong to no religion.” The incredible
proximity of these details encourages the domination of a defenseless people for the sake of
religion.
This seemingly self-contradicting concept was prevalent within Europe at the time. Such a
conflict of values can be attributed to the transitory nature of these opposing principles. Todorov
explains that “the Spanish conquistadors belong, historically, to that transitional period between a
Middle Ages dominated by religion and a modern period that places material goods at the top of
its scale of values” (42). Thus, Spaniards mingled God with gold. Delno West points out the
various aspects that played into popular culture including the legendary promise of “wealth and
glory to the person who boldly sought the mysteries of lost biblical sites, fabled islands, and
exotic peoples” which was further fueled by an “apocalyptic desire to extend the Christian empire
to the farthest ends of the earth” (263, 266). In the messianic nature of his mission, Columbus
was devoted to delivering Christianity to the Indies. However, Columbus’s concoction of religion
and economic foresight surely invoked a rush of greed and adventure that could be civilly
presented as a spiritual concern.
As further exploration of the Americas augmented the possibility for obtaining wealth and
power, the nature of political persuasion morphed. However, the unwavering religious element
would maintain its status as a key player in the justification of conquest. Hernan Cortes, the
conqueror of Mexico, masterfully implanted religious devices within his letters in order to
manipulate Emperor Charles V. Before one can truly see Cortes’s attempt to control his reader
with subtle spiritual psychology, it is imperative to understand his deceptive capabilities with
regard to religion. Cortes directly relays to his ruler that the Aztecs believe the Spanish soldiers to
be representatives of their long awaited god, Quetzalcoatl. He writes of his encounter with the
Aztec leader, Moctezuma, “I responded to everything he said to me * , as I thought most fitting,
especially in making him believe that Your Majesty was he whom they were expecting.” He then
further explains the luxuries afforded to him under this pretense.
Historically, these actions play an integral role in his conquest of Mexico. The indigenous
populations sought to identify the Spaniards with that which was culturally available. Todorov
explains this adoption of the foreigner by arguing that: “Instead of perceiving this fact as a purely
human if unprecedented encounter – the arrival of men greedy for gold and power – the Indians
integrate it into a network of natural, social, and supernatural relations, in which the event
thereby loses its singularity; it is somehow domesticated, absorbed into an order of already
existing beliefs” (74). Upon observing this reaction, Cortes recognizes the power that such
misperception confers, and further contributes to the obscurity of his origin. He even goes so far
as to have his horses buried at night after a battle so to fuel the prevalent uncertainty of their
mortality (Todorov 111). With the aid of Cortes’s inconspicuous persuasion, the Indians hesitate
to defend themselves against foreign conquest and are thus preemptively defeated. His
description of this stratagem proves that he is fully aware of his ability to mislead people through
spiritual fallacy.
* This is my translation.
Meeting of Minds 2006 110