In
1519, the Spanish conquistador, Hernan Cortes, sailed from
Europe to land in what is now Mexico. After a difficult
journey inland, Cortes and his men entered the Aztec capital
city and met , the
Aztec leader.
Normally,
the Spanish adventurers would have been captured and
sacrificed immediately, because that is what the Aztecs did to
invaders.
But the Spanish were lucky. They were allowed to
enter the city, and welcomed as valued guests, all because of
an old legend. This legend told of the god Quetzalcoatl. The
Aztecs believed that the god of night had defeated
Quetzalcoatl in a game of tlachtli. As the winner, the god of
night could decide what to do with Quetzalcoatl. The god of
night decided to banish Quetzalcoatl to the East. Quetzalcoatl
had no choice but to leave. He vowed that some day he would
return, when the end of the world was near, to save his
people.
The
Aztecs were always worried that the end of the world was
always near. That's why they sacrificed so many people. They
wanted to keep their gods very happy, so they could save their
people. When the Spanish arrived from the East, the Aztecs
believed that Quetzalcoatl had kept his promise and had
returned. They treated the Spanish as if they were gods.
kevana mcgough on 03 Feb 14world war 2 was brutal
