Aztec Massacre
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A grisly discovery of more than 400 mutilated bodies in Mexico is turning history on its head. Aztec Massacre paints a new picture of the violent relations between the Aztecs and the Conquistadors and rewrites much of what we thought we knew about the Aztec civilization.
A Firefly Production for Thirteen/WNET New York and ITVS International in association with Five, Channel Four International and History Channel (UK).
[Editor’s Note: Be sure to play the video promo.]
(Posted on May 22, 2008)
Comments
The tops of the pyramids that they usurped from those before them were literally crimson red from all the human sacrificing they were doing in a vain attempt to ‘leash the sun’ (keep it rising daily to avoid perceived cosmic catastrophe) so as to continue into the future ‘worlds’ (ages). This was done because the essential knowledge necessary to understand and thus utilize the priestly edifices left from those before was completely lost on these foreign invaders. With this kind of civilizational ignorance so rampant in Mexico then, it is no wonder some would have resorted to cannibalizing others in some pseudo-witch-doctor kind of way.
Posted by at 8:51 PM on May 22
I took a course in archeology back in 1989, and my professor spoke about MOUNTAINS of skulls piled up by the Aztecs, recipies for cooking their enemies, and other bizzare rituals documented by the Spanish.
This is common knowledge in the archeological world, and is only a shock to the politically corrected minds of liberals.
Posted by at 8:53 PM on May 22
Anything on PBS is propaganda and revisionist history and a complete distortion of the facts.
The few programs that are not tainted with leftist propaganda are too few to bother with PBS at all. It’s just not worth watching.
Posted by w.r. at 9:06 PM on May 22
In the book ‘The Conquest of New Spain’, by Bernal di Diaz (one of Cortez’s men) the author describes their first meeting with Aztec priests - di Diaz calls them ‘butcher priests’ because they were covered in gore from head to foot from making human sacrifices. Cortez and his men were so sickened and disgusted that they killed them and destroyed the idols and Cortez ordered the temple burned down and a church built in its place - he called this place Vera Cruz.
When I read about the tortures, rapes and murders perpetuated by the descendents of those Aztecs, I think of this book.
Posted by d at 4:33 AM on May 23
Why are certain historical cultural customs excusable while others are not? For example, slavery is always viewed in contemporary terms as repugnant, yet these barbaric customs are repeatedly excused as “part of their culture” and “necessary” sacrifices to their gods.
Posted by AlexinAR at 11:20 AM on May 23
I can’t wait for the screaming and yelling by the true believers in the glory of the Aztecs. Gibson’s film was loudly claimed to be racist. This was for telling the truth. La Raza, and others who have created Azatlan, won’t let this go without some claim of gringo racism.
Posted by George at 12:02 PM on May 23
Maybe if one murders another person but calls it a sacrifice to a god it is ok. How many years does it take for grave robbing to become archaeology? Dig up a 150 year old American Indian grave in New Mexico and it is Archaeology and dig up a 200 year old grave in Mass. and it is a federal grave robbing charge. Go figure.
Posted by Skip at 12:45 PM on May 23
In all fairness, Spaniards, while not necesarily cannibals, also were pretty bloodthirsty individuals… who subsequently interbred with the conquered Indians. Explaining the “dark” complexion shared by many of today’s Mexican immigrants.
I guess we should be thankful the Hispanic bloodlust and and Indian’s barbaric cruelity is expressed today in today’s Mexicans is their sick love affair with bull fighting, cock fighting and dog fighting. All three being good, clean, wholesome sports events the whole family can enjoy.
Admittedly, I am unaware of any illicit bullfighting events staged in Texas of late, but there have been many cockfighting and dogfighting rings busted… the perpetrators generally being found to be Hispanics. As you probably surmised. In short, honest, hardworking crossing the border seeking a better life for themselves and their families, right?
Posted by Fed Up at 1:23 PM on May 23
I am afraid that deporting “immigrants” of Aztec exraction won’t accomplish much without first deporting the Liberals (preferably, to communist North Korea) who keep indoctrinating this nation with “all are equal” nonsense and put various groups on pedestal of civilization and political power in order to “prove” their point.
The Liberals entrenched themselves in their position of control of mass media and public education, and as long as they are there it is not a question of if but when this country will be pushed again on the path of absurdity and self-destraction.
And if you are sorry for the deportees, just look how much irreparable damage did they (the Liberals, that is) inflict to our country over past 50 years or so.
Posted by A Reader at 4:02 PM on May 23
The contempoary Spanish account of Aztec culture is of
pyramids of skulls, blood caked temples, and a monotonous
tom-tom that went on day and night as victims were led to the temples to have their beating hearts ripped from their chests.
Yep, all cultures are equal, and Christendom was a terrible
imposition on the poor innocent natives.
Posted by at 6:14 PM on May 23
Certainly everyone, even today’s students (?) know that human sacrifice was a central part of Aztec life. Don’t they? I don’t understand why Amren bothered to post this.
My next door neighbors are Aztecs, and they are fine folk. They have a large pyramid in their backyard, but they’ve agreed not to roll any bodies down it after 11 pm, so they seem to be assimilating nicely.
Posted by H. Dumpty at 12:24 AM on May 24
I saw this show. They could not deny that cannibalism had gone on, but it was amazing to see how they worked to excuse it while painting Cortez and inept and cruel. They worked hard trying to make it look like a very lucky mistake (for Europeans) that the Spainish were able to conquer such a brilliant, vibrant civilization in Mexico. I was nearly laughing (bitterly) while watching this with my wife.
Here is an example of the sorts of distortions the show used to influence perceptions;
The oft used claim of “counting coup” is bogus. “Counting Coup” was learned from the French by Canadian Amerinds who were influenced by the French enthusiasm for fencing, where one counts cuts (fr - coup) or touches. (With the military sabre, it would be cuts). I am a lifetime fencer and I used to qualify for national championships here in the U.S. I have a teaching credential for fencing and I know the history of it. I am a Quebecois by heritage as my seven great grandfather was a French officer during the French and Indian War. Some North American tribes learned the practice as a game and later a method of settling tribal arguments. They learned it from the European practice of the chivalric duel and the duel of champions - a by then very old, but still very much present part of European and especially French culture. It was used first as trial by combat judiciously - with the knightly joust its epitome, and later the individual duel to settle personal differences - long after it was made an illegal practice. There was very well known duel between the Italian champion Aldo Nadi and an Italian sports writer who had insulted him in the 1920s, for example.
Real history shows that Amerinds engaged in very bloody wars against eacher other nad the program on the Aztecs admitted that as well. But they used this “counting coup” argument to help explain how Cortez succeeded. This is pure unsupportable nonsense and an insult to professional historians and real archeologists.
The Aztecs never learned anything about “counting coup,” and I had never heard the claim until this show. It is a very common thing many posters here will no doubt know, that Mestezos and North American Amerinds often create an obvious lie like this and repeat it until they believe it. Others for politically convenient reasons sometimes take such distortions up. Today, PBS and others often create programs that claim to be historically accurate. They may be to a point, but they are often used a platforms to inflate pride and give legitimacy to infamous lies by utilizing details like this, distorting them to create circumstantial evidence for a larger claim.
Posted by Whiteplight at 5:03 PM on May 24
In all fairness, Spaniards, while not necesarily cannibals, also were pretty bloodthirsty individuals… who subsequently interbred with the conquered Indians. Explaining the “dark” complexion shared by many of today’s Mexican immigrants.
I guess we should be thankful the Hispanic bloodlust and and Indian’s barbaric cruelity is expressed today in today’s Mexicans is their sick love affair with bull fighting, cock fighting and dog fighting. All three being good, clean, wholesome sports events the whole family can enjoy.
Admittedly, I am unaware of any illicit bullfighting events staged in Texas of late, but there have been many cockfighting and dogfighting rings busted… the perpetrators generally being found to be Hispanics. As you probably surmised. In short, honest, hardworking crossing the border seeking a better life for themselves and their families, right?
Posted by Fed Up at 7:55 PM on May 24
The Aztecs get a pass for their barbarity because it was their “religion”. The same PC “logic” is used to excuse Islam.
Posted by at 12:18 AM on May 25
“In all fairness, Spaniards, while not necesarily cannibals, also were pretty bloodthirsty individuals… who subsequently interbred with the conquered Indians. Explaining the “dark” complexion shared by many of today’s Mexican immigrants.”
This is pathetic ignorance. Spain is a white European nation. Spain discovered what is now America and the west using Italian Columbus. Interbreeding with the Asian red mongoloid race by Spain is a myth. This may have occured in recent pc times but not in the 350 yrs Spain ruled these former Aztecs aka Mexicans.
Spanish white tongue was forced on these pagan cannibals who were eliminated and every part of Mexican culture and religion came from Spain.
We need to educate whites on their white history.
Posted by at 8:13 AM on May 25
A measure of how widespread the Aztec practice of human sacrifice was can be found in how so many other Indian tribes rallied to Cortez’s side against the Aztecs.
Posted by at 5:38 PM on May 26
“Spanish white tongue was forced on these pagan cannibals who were eliminated and every part of Mexican culture and religion came from Spain. We need to educate whites on their white history.”
Posted by at 8:13 AM
— - - — — — —
Then please educate us. They were “eliminated”? And every part of their culture?
If so, why are Mexicans so much darker and “exotic”-looking than Spaniards? And why do they boast today of being Indians, and about their Indian heritage — but NEVER of being Spanish? I could go on.
Yes, it will take a lot of “educating” to convince us of that! Or do you mean brainwashing?
Posted by browser at 7:53 PM on May 26
“Admittedly, I am unaware of any illicit bullfighting events staged in Texas of late, but there have been many cockfighting and dogfighting rings busted… the perpetrators generally being found to be Hispanics. As you probably surmised. In short, honest, hardworking crossing the border seeking a better life for themselves and their families, right?”
I think some degenerate Southern whites support dog fighting, and, of course, more than a few thuggish blacks (i.e. Michael Vick), but I would say that Mexicans and Central Americans definitely have a different attitude toward cruelty to animals than North Americans. Will we change Mexican attitudes to British or American, or will they change us? If you don’t know the answer visit Southern California or as you said Texas.
Posted by Sardonicus at 3:24 PM on May 27