Chapter 5 The Conquest of Colonialism Summary and Analysis

Mexican people preserve their ancient pre-Cortesian beliefs while adopting, at the same time, Western customs. Archeological discoveries show that the Aztecs were the last culture to settle in the valley of Mexico, building a universal empire from other older societies. They were complete civilizations. The Spaniard were to create New Spain in what is today Central America and the southern parts of Mexico. Their only achievement was preventing the dispersal of the population.

Aztecs found and absorbed a large number of cities with complex and autonomous nations and cultures in the same way that Greeks absorbed other cultures during the Hellenic period. Traditions mixed and eventually integrated despite conflicts between them. At a certain period of time Aztec society started to dominate other cultures. It was an agricultural society that used maize and...