Nahua Peoples Western Civ

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| European perspectives on the Nahua peoples. | Western civ. | | | The Nahua people of South America were a superstitious people. They based an entire culture around pleasing and sacrificing to their gods. When the Spaniards came they used these beliefs to conquer and enslave the Nahua peoples. The Spaniards saw it not as bad thing, but as a kind and helpful thing to do, because they believed they were superior to the native people in many, if not all ways. The Nahua peoples relied very heavily on prophecies and omens. They often claimed that they had foreseen the coming of the Spaniards through signs, dreams and omens. “There is evidence that the Nahua peoples were not alarmed by the arrival of the Spaniards.”(VV 29) There were many prophecies that fit nearly, if not completely, in to the Spanish takeover of South America. The Nahua saw comets which they interpreted as a sign, as well as some of the tribesmen having what they called prophetic dreams. The Nahua usually greeted the Spanish with awe and respect, although there were some cases where it wasn’t so. Most of the Nahua believed that the Spaniards were gods of legend, the topltzin quetzalcoah, and the Spaniards allowed them to think this. Because the Nahua thought the Spanish were returning gods, they gave them large gifts of gold, bronze and other rich goods. The Nahua also gave them a large supply of food every where they went, as well as Nahua garments. The Spaniards, mostly under the command of Hernan Cortes, gave gifts back to the Nahua peoples, he also bartered with them. They gave gifts of beads of different colors as well as small bells and Spanish shirts. The beads and bells were used as a sort of currency between the Spanish and the Nahua, and the Spanish shirts we a way of slowly assimilating the Nahua to the Spanish way of clothing. The Nahua society was one that prepared
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