16. There are apologists for the brutality of the Aztecs today
For many years the practice of human sacrifice and cannibalism among the Aztecs was denied by many, and their brutality towards prisoners presented as a reflection of the equally brutal treatment they received at the hands of the Spanish conquerors. As archaeological evidence revealed that the Aztecs practiced both human sacrifice and cannibalism, other motivations were presented, including the belief by one scholar that the practice of eating human flesh was caused by lack of other sources of protein. The reports by Diaz, Hernan de Cortes, and other Spanish eyewitnesses to human sacrifice and cannibalism were long dismissed as propaganda by the Spanish to support their destruction of the Aztec culture, but archaeological excavations provided physical evidence which corroborates what the Spanish claimed to have seen, at the sites where they reported seeing them. They are further corroborated by the Aztec’s pictorial codices.
The Aztecs were not the only culture encountered in the New World by arriving Europeans who were reported to practice cannibalism. There are reports of the practice among the Mayans and among the tribes in New England and Canada. Few lives were ever one of more brutality than those lived by the Aztec, informed at the moment of birth that their life would be one of affliction and sacrifice. It is somewhat ironic that the best known of the Aztec gods today is arguably Quetzalcoatl, who in his portion of the creation legend was against the sacrifice or taking of human life. For centuries it was thought that the Aztecs had believed Cortes to be the return of Quetzalcoatl, a belief now widely discounted as the creation of Cortes for self-serving reasons, spread by Franciscan missionaries, and bearing no truth.
Where do we find this stuff? Here are our sources:
“The Aztecs”. Michael E. Smith. 2002
“Aztec Warfare: Imperial Expansion and Political Control”. Ross Hassig. 1998
“The Aztecs of Central Mexico: An Imperial Society”. Frances Berdan. 1989
“Daily Life of the Aztecs: People of the Sun and Earth”. David Carrasco. 1998
“The History of the Indies of New Spain”. Diego Duran. 1581 (1994).
“Ancient Aztec Festivals, Celebrations and Holidays”, HAUNTY, Owlcation, JUN 3, 2019
“Aztec Thought and Culture”. Miguel Leon-Portilla. 1990
“Empires of Time: Calendars, Clocks, and Cultures”. Anthony F. Aveni. 2000