48 pages • 1-hour read
The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 13-14Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 13 Summary: “The Surrender of Tenochtitlan”
Chapter 13 covers the aftermath of the war as the Aztecs finally surrender their capital of Tenochtitlan to the Spanish. It relies on three versions of events: narration from the Aztec informants of Sahagun, the account of a descendant of Aztec nobles, Alva Ixtlilxochitl, and the records of a Nahua annalist, Chimalpain.
“The Final Omen,” from the Aztec accounts of Sahagun’s informants, describes a supernatural sight: a blazing bonfire in the night sky. Highly sensory language is used to paint a picture of the sign’s red-hot sparks and loud noises. But unlike earlier omens witnessed in Chapter 1, this vision neither surprises nor panics the Aztecs: “the people knew what is meant and they watched it in silence” (116).
“Cuauhtémoc’s Surrender” is a moment of humiliation: When the new Aztec king, Cuauhtémoc, surrenders to Cortés, the Spanish captain stares at him for a moment, and then pats him on the head. As the Spanish triumphantly fire their cannons and kill any Aztec warriors still bearing arms, the common people scatter into the jungle. The Aztec author includes poignant details of the exodus: some children are crying, but others “laughed and smiled, thinking it was great sport to be carried like that along the road” (“The Flight from the City”). The Spanish regularly stop the refugees and strip them of any valuables; they care only for gold, and “paid no attention to jade, turquoise, or quetzal feathers” (117). They brand the faces of the bravest Aztec warriors (“The Spaniards Humiliate the Refugees”). The next section, “Cortés Demands Gold,” describes how Cortés attempts to track down every bit of gold stolen at the battle of the Canal of the Toltecs during the Night of Sorrows (Chapter 10), even as the Aztec chieftains attempt to explain their inability to account for the actions of other tribes.
The next passages are from XII relacion by Alva Ixtlilxochitl, a descendant of the rulers of Tezcoco. In “The Ravage of Tenochtitlan,” he relates the brutalities inflicted by the Spanish and the Tlaxcaltecas on the day Tenochtitlan was taken. In his version of the story, only his ancestor, Tezcoco’s prince Ixtlilxochitl (the Catholic convert from Chapter 7) pities the Aztecs, who are his brethren.
In Alva Ixtlilxochitl’s account, “The Capture of Cuauhtémoc,” the Aztec king Cuauhtémoc surrenders in battle when he realizes the helplessness of his situation. When he is brought before Cortés, Cuauhtémoc places his hand on Cortés’s dagger and asks for death: “I have done everything in my power to save my kingdom from your hands. Since fortune has been against me, I now beg you to take my life” (123). Cortés consoles him and tells him to order his warriors to surrender. Cuauhtémoc obeys, and Prince Ixtlilxochitl clasps his hand (“Cuauhtémoc Acknowledges His Defeat”). According to “The Length of the Siege,” the siege of Tenochtitlan lasts 80 days and end with more than 240,000 Aztecs killed, including most of the noble class.
The final version of events, “Cortés Deals with the Nobles and Priests,” is provided by the Nahua annalist Chimalpain in his VII relacion. Cortés confronts the surviving lords of the area and demands to know who is in charge of what. One lord, Tlacotzin, begs Cortés to understand: In conquering and holding territories, “what I did was no more than what you have done, for you also have come here with arrows and shields to capture all our cities” (125). Cortés then claims that he has come as a liberator to free the Aztecs from the tyranny of their lords.
Chapter 14 Summary: “The Story of the Conquest as Told by the Anonymous Authors of Tlatelolco”
Chapter 14 pivots to a new source: the complete story of the conquest as written by anonymous authors of Tlatelolco. The Tlatelolco have played a major role in the drama so far. Once inhabitants of an independent city, the Tlatelolcas had been conquered by the Aztecs and assimilated into Tenochtitlan. While they were part of the Aztec community, the Tlatelolcas still considered themselves in some ways distinct.
Chapter 14’s Tlatelolco account briefly addresses all the events described in Chapters 1-13. It contains a few major differences from the other indigenous texts. As might be expected, the Tlatelolco take special care in highlighting their own acts of bravery, especially in comparison to their Aztec lords.
The episodes describing the initial interactions between the Spanish and Aztecs are much the same as the previous narratives. For example, like the earlier Aztec account, the Tlatelolco author relays the Spaniards’ disgust at human sacrifice. “The Massacre in the Main Temple” also covers the unprovoked massacre at the Aztec celebrants at the fiesta of Huitzilopochtli. Though the Tlatelolco author believes the Aztecs were somewhat more wary than the Aztec account suggests in Chapter 8, they are generally in agreement with the previous sources: The Aztec dancers and singers were unarmed when the Spanish slaughtered them. The Tlatelolco author touches too on the Night of Sorrows and emphasize that the Spaniards retreated to the territories of their primary indigenous ally, the Tlaxcaltecas (“The Night of Sorrows”).
The Tlatelolco account stands out in its emphasis on disunity within Indigenous Forces: Under pressure from the Spanish, “The Aztecs began to fight among themselves” (132). Chiefs are enraged at brutal killings carried out by mercenary Aztecs against their own people during the Spanish siege. “Have we ourselves become assassins?” they ask the perpetrators (133). The Tlatelolcas repeatedly highlight how alone they feel in a sea of allies: “No one set out from Tenochtitlan to assist us: only the Tlatelolcas were ready when the Spaniards arrived in their ships” (133). Instead, in-fighting among the Aztecs continues: In “The Siege of Tenochtitlan,” the Aztec warriors from Tenochtitlan mutiny at the inaction of their chiefs, “the second time that the people of Tenochtitlan killed their own leaders” (133). Meanwhile, the “humblest [Tlatelolco] warriors died fighting as bravely as their captains” (135).
According to this account, the Spanish recognize the bravery of the Tlatelolcas and attempted to treat with them instead of the Aztec leaders of Tenochtitlan. At the meeting, various Indigenous kings allied with Cortés encourage the Tlatelolcas to surrender: “Why should the Tlatelolcas feel sorry when the people of Tenochtitlan bring a senseless destruction on themselves?” (136). But still, the Tlatelolcas refuses to abandon their allies in Tenochtitlan (“The Tlatelolcas Are Invited to Make a Treaty”). Even the Tlatelolco women join in the fighting (“The Fighting Is Renewed”).
Finally, the Aztec king Cuauhtémoc asks his fortune tellers whether there is still a chance. The fortune tellers reply positively—if they can survive four more days, Huitzilopochtli might protect them. But when the fighting breaks out again, the peoples of Tenochtitlan and Tlatelolco finally abandon their city in a pouring rain (“The Message from Cortés” and “The City Falls”). The Tlatelolco account confirms the Spaniards’ ravenous searching for gold among the refugees: “They even opened the women’s skirts and blouses and felt everywhere: their ears, their breasts, their hair” (“The People Flee the City”). Eventually, after a somewhat tempestuous treatment by Cortés, the Tlatelolcas are allowed to resettle their area of Tenochtitlan, though the city itself must remain under the exclusive occupation of the Spanish (“The Offering of Gold”). They largely live in peace with their colonizers, but also note the Spaniards treating the Aztecs of Tenochtitlan cruelly, torturing king Cuauhtémoc, and feeding certain Aztec officials to their dogs (“Cuauhtémoc Is Tortured” and “The Return to Tlatelolco”).
Chapters 13-14 Analysis
As the fight for Tenochtitlan winds down, various indigenous sources perform an autopsy on the Aztec war effort. Cortés landed on the coast at Veracruz on April 22, 1519; Tenochtitlan surrendered to him on August 13, 1521, less than two years later. How did such a mighty civilization fall so quickly? Again, the answers reflect a broader trend in the European colonization of the Americas. For a variety of reasons, Indigenous cultural groups were often unwilling or unable to present a unified front against invaders.
The Europeans recognized and pressed this advantage. Many, like Cortés, obtained Native translators (often enslaved people, like La Malinche) and prioritized securing local allies immediately. As Diego Munoz Camargo describes in his Tlaxcala account in Chapter 5, “Cortés saw to it that his new friends and confederates [that is, his Tlaxcaltecas allies] did not leave his side, using his wits as always, as an astute leader, to take advantage of his situation” (43). These Native allies provided a multitude of necessities for the invaders: information about local terrain and peoples, extra manpower, and places of refuge in a pinch (the Spanish would have been wiped out on the Night of Sorrows, for example, had they not been taken in by a local village).
For a complex array of reasons, some Indigenous Peoples were eager to join with the newcomers. For the Tlaxcaltecas, terror was a powerful motivator: After the Spanish easily destroyed a neighboring Otomi village, they feared the same might happen to them. The military might of the Europeans also offered a rare opportunity to shift the balance of power in the region. The Aztecs and their allies had long oppressed Tlaxcaltecas; now, a new strongman was in town. For their Indigenous allies, the Spaniards were a useful weapon against old rivals.
But even allies among Indigenous Peoples had a difficult time maintaining internal harmony and sense of purpose. The incredible stress of war—indeed, the existential threat of annihilation—bred extremism and in-fighting, as the Tlatelolco account of Chapter 14 makes clear. The Aztecs and the Tlatelolco people were, in theory, the closest allies imaginable; Tlatelolco was once independent, but by this time had been integrated into Tenochtitlan. Still, the anonymous Tlatelolco writers underline how often Aztec leaders of Tenochtitlan fought amongst themselves, to disastrous effect. In the Tlatelolco narrative, the Indigenous allies of Cortés even allow them to abandon the Aztecs, if they wish: “Why should the Tlatelolcas feel sorry [for the Aztecs] when the people of Tenochtitlan bring a senseless destruction on themselves?” (136). No doubt, this was a sentiment shared by many of their allies.
Unlock all 48 pages of this Study Guide
Get in-depth, chapter-by-chapter summaries and analysis from our literary experts.
- Grasp challenging concepts with clear, comprehensive explanations
- Revisit key plot points and ideas without rereading the book
- Share impressive insights in classes and book clubs