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Comment by thunkle | Hacker News Reader

If you are interested in learning more about the whole meeting of the Spaniards and Aztecs. Please check out Conquistadors by Buddy Levy one of my favorite books!

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Seconding the Conquistador recommendation.

If they made it into a film, it would be about as believable as a John Wick movie.

Thanks, will do.

But curious, what's the gist of their meeting?

Very cordial to begin with, mainly because the Spanish had allied with a large number of other tribes, many of which were enemies of the Aztecs.

The Aztecs invited them into the city as honoured guests/curiosities. After many months the Spanish (and their tribal allies) massacred the city after a series of events internal and external to the city.

It’s a fascinating episode in history, if you don’t want to read a book then the Aztec series of the podcast The Rest Is History gives an amazing 7 parts walkthrough of the saga.

I think what many people miss about the Europeanization of North America is how often the Euros formed alliances with different tribes. Some tribes formed a bond with the French, some with the Spanish, English, Portugeuse and probably a few others too. It was much more complex than can be described in a sound bite.

In the end though, the Europeans and later, the Americans, mostly reneged on their treaty agreements and obligations when it suited them to do so.

Interestingly, the Spanish mostly honored their treaty with the Tlaxcalans, and it was independent Mexico which terminated it.

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