September 2, 2023 | Author: Evangeline Abhy | Editor: Ruonan Zhao
They say it’s the thought that counts. Implying that actions take comparatively less priority over
the intentions behind it. This does not eradicate the value and effect of the action but only gives
more importance to the initial intention.
It is indeed a rare sight to see a nation owning up for its mistakes, apologizing years later for its
actions. In August 2021, the Mexican President Andres Manual Lopez Obrador publicly asked the Indigenous Mexican Peoples for forgiveness for the abuses inflicted during the bloody 1521 Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire. “Today we remember the fall of the great Tenochtitlan and we apologize to the victims of the catastrophe caused by the Spanish military occupation of Mesoamerica and the territory of the current Mexican Republic”.
History certainly was not not entirely beautiful for the current Mexican Republic. Understanding what truly happened, and the intentions behind the horrendous actions will allow us to truly respect and comprehend the statement enunciated by President Lopez Obrador.
The 15th century unfolded for the Ancient Mexican Civilizations into a century of turmoil. With
the Spanish gaining power in their personal conquests with the motto of “God, Gold and
Glory”, they set their eyes on the Aztec Empire. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, who was leading the Catholic Monarch, sought to centralize Spain as a Catholic stronghold. With Pope Alexander VI in full agreement, he granted to Spain any new world territory not already claimed by a Christian prince.
According to History, “Hernán Cortés, the leader of a small group of Conquistadores, arrived in
Veracruz, a town on the Gulf of Mexico, and went on to the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan. Moctezuma, the Emperor of the Aztecs, welcomed Cortés, as he believed the Spaniard might be their returning God, as Aztec’s legend said. Cortés and his men settled in Tenochtitlan. However, when Cortés left the city for a few days, the men he left behind mistakenly believed that a large gathering of Aztecs were grouping together to threaten them. In reality they were only preparing for a religious ceremony. The Spanish attacked and most of the Aztecs were massacred.” This inevitably ended with the fall of the Aztec Empire in 1521 and the birth of the viceroyalty of New Spain, ruling Mexico for the next three hundred years.
https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/exploring-the-early-americas/conquest-of-mexico-paintings.html
The Indigenous peoples suffered immensely under the Spanish exploitation of their lands and
people. Continuous demoralization, experimentation on human limits all caused by greed. Bartolomé de Las Casas, one of the most prominent souls to intercede for the Indigenous People, his continuous efforts have ultimately resulted in a catalog of accurate information regarding insight as to what the Native peoples had gone through.
He specifically fought against the encomienda system, which was a form of labor system that the Spanish had set up to reap masses of benefits through exploitation The following is an excerpt from one of his letters:
“In this Isle, which, as we have said, the Spaniards first attempted, the bloody slaughter and destruction of men first began: for they violently forced away women and children to make them slaves, and ill-treated them, consuming and wasting their food, which they had purchased with great sweat, toil, and yet remained dissatisfied too,... (2) and one individual Spaniard consumed more victuals in one day, than would serve to maintain three families a month, every one consisting of ten persons. (3) Now being oppressed by such evil usage, and afflicted with such great torments and violent entertainment [treatment] they began to understand that such men as those had not their mission from heaven; and therefore some of them conceal’d their provisions and others to their Wives and Children in lurking holes, but some, to avoid the obdurate and dreadful temper of such a Nation, sought their Refuge on the craggy tops of Mountains; for the Spaniards did not only entertain them with Cuffs, Blows, and wicked Cudgelling, but laid violent hands also on the [Taino] Governours of Cities... (4)"
Indeed, letters such as this had an effect to a certain extent. Even to the point of softening the heart of the Catholic Pope Paul III. The Pope Finally proclaimed the humanity of the Native Peoples in 1537, and with the Spanish Emperor Caharles V issuing the “New Laws of the indies for the Good Treatment and Preservation of the Indians” This was aimed to replaces the encomienda system with the repartimiento system which focused on allocating Indigenous labor. Apart from this, continuous exchanges with King Ferdinand enlightened him on the suffering of the Natives. He forcibly awakened the Moral Indignation of Christian men to counter the growing tide of barbarism. With numerous laws being enforced between 1513 to 1543 such as the ones stated above, it seemed to have minimal effect. The implementation of such laws were never thorough and the plight seemed to be only dealt with superficially. Nonetheless, through his self-proclaimed goal of bearing witness to the savagery of the Europeans against the simple civility of the Indigenous peoples, de Las Casas became characterized as the conscience of Spanish exploration.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Paul_III
It is important to understand that though reparations take place and apologies enunciated, nothing could ever amount to the value of lives that have been lost. However, one can at least respect such efforts and remember those that have suffered. Bringing such events and atrocities into the light not only brings peace to their souls but also justice to the ones alive today that have had experiences with such matters.
“The Spaniards first assaulted the innocent Sheep, so qualified by the Almighty, like most cruel
tigers, wolves, and lions, hunger-starved, studying nothing, for the space of Forty Years, after
their first landing, but the Massacre of these Wretches, whom they have so inhumanely and
barbarously butchered and harassed with several kinds of Torments, never before known, or
heard (of which you shall have some account in the following Discourse) that of Three Millions
of Persons, which lived in Hispaniola itself, there is at present but the inconsiderable remnant of
scarce Three Hundred.”
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