1. Seven Myths of Spanish
Conquest
Theme 5-Part 2
History 140
Jessica Jefferson

2. Seven Myths of Spanish
Conquest
Acknowledgements & Introduction
How? - Why? - Seven? - Who Says?
The number seven has deep roots with in the
history of the Americas.
• Mexica origin myth
• Medieval law code
• Cibola seven cities of gold
Spain's actions and observations in the
Americas occurred within the context of
their own culture.
• Bernal Diaz had to compare Tenochtitlan to medieval fantasy
• “Truth itself has been discredited as a concept relevant to historical
investigation”

3. Seven Myths of Spanish
Conquest
Chapter 1
The myth of Exceptional Men
The story of a “handful of adventurers”
conquering the Americas is not what is
seems.
• The Spaniards who crossed the
Atlantic were a part of a larger
process
• Columbus’s, Cortes’s, and
Pizarro’s name fame is mostly
due to the fact that they were
the initial discoverers of the
Americas and it’s major Empires
• The “great men” concept leaves
out the accomplishments of the
natives
• The famous conquistadores were
simply performing the already
routine aspects of Spanish
conquest

4. Seven Myths of Spanish
Conquest
Chapter 3
The myth of the White Conquistador
Africans accompanied the Spanish in their
invasions; equaling or exceeding them in
number. Natives also played a key role.
• Alvarado’s letter to Cortes stated
his force comprised 250 Spaniards
“and about five to six thousand
friendly Indians.”
• The Huejotzincans sought to use the
presence of the Spanish to promote
their interests and pursue
rivalries against Mexica and
Tlaxcalans
• Using native allies was standard
procedure for Spanish conquests

5. Seven Myths of Spanish
Conquest
Chapter 7
The myth of Superiority
Saying the Spanish were superior because
they conquered is circular reasoning.
• The Spanish falsely viewed the natives as less than human; as barbarians
• Mythic and non-mythic reasons are cited to explain Spaniard’s superiority:
- God’s intervention & Miracles
- God’s plan to unite the world under a Christian Spanish Monarchy
- Disease killed the inferior natives
- Natives had a different cultural approach to war
- Natives saw conquistadors to be god-like
• Spanish conquest was a component of the larger process of globalization

6. Seven Myths of Spanish
Conquest
Epilogue
Interpretations of the past
Multiple points of view are recorded for
each of the four stages leading to and
describing Cuauhtémoc's Betrayal
• Spanish journey into Mactun territory
• Expedition’s stay in Itzamkanac
• Discovery of plot
• Violent denouncement the dawn of Shrove Tuesday
- The Maya’s description is most devoid of stereotypes
• The exact truth of the event is masked by the varying accounts
The myths behind Cuauhtémoc's death and of
the Spanish conquest are metaphors that offer
insight to the motives, methods, and patterns
of human behavior.