We People Here, a portion of text derived from "The Florentine Codex", a collection of oral histories as told by indigenous Nahuatl speakers, illustrates the arrival of Hernán Cortés on the shores of Mexico. At the time of Cortes' arrival, approximately 1519 A.D., the Aztecs controlled most of southern Mexico under the rule of Moctezuma, who had began his reign in 1502 A.D.. Although he had seventeen years of experience as emperor, Moctezuma, nor any of the Aztec rulers before him, had faced such an unknown and seemingly dangerous threat as the Spanish visitors. Moctezuma's fear of the European invaders agitated a delicate relationship between the Aztecs and Spanish, resulting in massive bloodshed that could have been lessened, if not avoided under the rule of a more courageous Aztec emperor.…show more content… Moctezuma's cowardice reveals itself when the greeting party that he had sent to meet the new visitors returned with information about their advanced technology and crew. The cannons and the use of gunpowder on the Spanish ship must have seemed to be evil magic to the Emperor, and the advanced soldier weaponry such as mail and crossbows intimidated Moctezuma. Soon after the initial report, Moctezuma sent soothsayers and witches to observe the Spanish and attempt to drive them away. The group of mystics failed however and Moctezuma's anxiety grew even larger. Throughout the conquistadores journey to meet Moctezuma, tensions remained high as Moctezuma sent messengers along the path of the Spanish in attempts to dissuade them from reaching the capital. The already apparent disconnect was worsened by the lack of direct communication even when face to face. Translators were a necessity for all interactions between the Aztecs and Spaniards, causing another layer of
