Chapter 15

Following the fall of <a data-internal-link data-link-type="Index of Terms" href="https://www.supersummary.com/the-broken-spears/index-of-terms/#214988">Tenochtitlan</a>, Chapter 15 changes gears. It presents three “songs of sorrow,” elegiac poems written by Aztecs reflecting on the fall of their capital. The first poem, “The Fall of Tenochtitlan,” is from the collection of Cantares Mexicanos and was probably composed in 1523. Its somber verse contrasts the rising cries of the Aztecs’ grief with the falling rain of their tears. It notes the Aztecs fleeing “like women” and asks, “How can we save our homes, my people?” There is no clear solution. The author finally orders the reader to weep, as “we have lost the Mexican nation” (146). The second poem, “The Imprisonment of <a data-internal-link data-link-type="Character" href="https://www.supersummary.com/the-broken-spears/key-figures/#214969">Cuauhtémoc</a>,” is a dramatic excerpt from a series of poems recounting the Spanish conquest. It underlines the helpless feelings of the Aztecs and Tlatelolcas trapped in Tenochtitlan through incantatory <a data-internal-link data-link-type="Literary Device" href="https://www.supersummary.com/repetition/">repetition</a> like “The Aztecs are besieged in the city; the Tlatelolcas are besieged in the city!” (148). It also emphasizes the sensory terror of the warfare inflicted by the Spanish: “The walls are black, / the air is black with smoke, / the guns flash in the darkness” (148-49) and describes the imprisonment of Aztec royalty, including even King Cuauhtémoc’s little niece, Dona Isabel.

Chapter 15 Summary: “Elegies on the Fall of the City”

Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Summary: “Aftermath”

Chapters 15-16

Chapters 15-16 Analysis

Social Sciences

Anthropology

Values & Ideas

Challenging Authority

Race & Ethnicity

Chicanx Literature

Historic & Literary Period

Colonialism & Postcolonialism

College

Colonialism Unit

Indigenous People's Literature

Book Events

Memorial Day Reads

History: World

Military Reads

Power

Required Reading Lists

Society

Miguel León-Portilla

Adult

Book

Nonfiction

Guide

Study Guide

Book Brief

Explore The Broken Spears reviews, reading age recommendations, and essential genre and thematic details before you start reading.

About The Broken Spears

title

content

Overview

Get ready to explore The Broken Spears and its meaning. Our full analysis and study guide provides an even deeper dive with character analysis and quotes explained to help you discover the complexity and beauty of this book.

The Broken Spears Summary and Study Guide

chapter

chapterType

section

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Introduction-Chapter 3

The Broken Spears Introduction-Chapter 3 Summary & Analysis

Chapters 4-6

The Broken Spears Chapters 4-6 Summary & Analysis

Chapters 7-9

The Broken Spears Chapters 7-9 Summary & Analysis

Chapters 10-12

The Broken Spears Chapters 10-12 Summary & Analysis

Chapters 13-14

The Broken Spears Chapters 13-14 Summary & Analysis

The Broken Spears Chapters 15-16 Summary & Analysis

keyFigure

Key Figures

The Broken Spears Key Figures

theme

Themes

The Broken Spears Themes

Index of Terms

The Broken Spears Index of Terms

quote

citation

character

Important Quotes

The Broken Spears Important Quotes with Page Numbers

primaryCharacter

Essay Topics

The Broken Spears Essay Topics

The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico

Chapters 15-16Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Featured Collections