The New Edge of Cedar Mesa

AUGUST 29, 2011 1:38AM

God & Country & Gold

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At age 76, In the  year 1568,   Bernal Diaz del Castillo, who had been a captain in the army of Hernan Cortes, and the last survivor of the  Spanish conquistadors  who  overthrew the Aztec Empire in 1521, eulogized his fallen comrades thusly:

“Where are now my companions? They have fallen in battle or been devoured by the cannibal, or been thrown to fatten the wild beasts in their cages! They whose remains should rather have been gathered under monuments emblazoned with their achievements, which deserve to be commemorated in letters of gold; for they died in the service of God and of His Majesty, and to give light to those who sat in darkness–and also to acquire that wealth which most men covet.”

Born over five hundred years ago in 1492, the year of Colombus’ first voyage, Bernal Diaz identifies three motives:

1. Christian Piety: bringing the light of the One True Faith to the heathen who “sat in darkness.”

2. Patriotism/National chauvinism:  expanding the wealth, power, and  greater glory of one’s country

3. Individual, Worldly Ambition:  to acquire wealth, property, position, titles,  prestige.

Bernal Diaz shows no awareness there might be a conflict between these three. It seems not to have entered his mind.

The Anglo-Saxon Protestant world tends to look down on the Spanish Catholic  conquistadores as brutal thugs wrapped up in Christian hypocrisy. But how different are we now?

How many 21st century Americans can even imagine any possible  tension, conflict, or contradiction between (1) individual worldly ambition, (2)Christian piety, and (3)national chauvinsim?  How many of us question the presence of an American flag up front in our churches? Or whether Jesus really was an American and urged people to get rich?  Did Jerry Falwell or Billy Graham? Does Mitt Romney ? Michelle Bachman?  Prosperity Gospel Preacher  Joel Osteen ?

How different are we from the 16th century Spanish conquistadores?

How different are our motives and our presumptions?

 

 

 

 


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The term cultural relativity comes to mind; not as an excuse, as many people mistakenly interpret it, but as an explanation. Most people are taught to believe certain things from birth and in Bernal Diaz del Castillo's time this was done in an authoritarian manner that involved intimidating and even torturing anyone that didn't believe the cult ideology of the time. They didn't believe in checking facts just obeying authority or else.
zacherydtaylor
August 29, 2011 09:52 AM
Sorry, Zachery, but Columbus, Cortez, Castillo and the rest of the conquistadors will not be excused by me with a "product of their time" apologia. The Good Book has not been rewritten in the centuries since, and what they did flies in the face of the teachings of Jesus -- just as the gross distortion of that faith by Osteen, et al, flies in the face of Jesus' challenge to feed the poor.

The Original Sin of the "civilized" world is to bend the truth so that what is clearly immoral can be deemed legal thru manipulating both religion and the law to suit base purposes. For one glaring example of how this worked, look to The Requirement:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB8QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FRequerimiento&ei=rORbTtKUM6fE0AH3qvSTCQ&usg=AFQjCNHLztS7ef4rlik6rZyfF8hPnXbrOw

"Savages" know better. "Savages" also know how great the danger when the greediest bastards in any society are permitted to run unfettered and amok. In short, there is little difference between the Conquistadors of Spain and the Conquistadors of Wall Street.
Tom Cordle
August 29, 2011 03:20 PM
Zachery, one of the most useful features of Diaz's writings is his guilelessness, his frankness. Since he was proud, not ashamed of the conquest, he had little need to deny, minimize, or rationalize their actions. He gives us great insight into the mind of the 16th century Spanish conquistador. But my motive in calling attention to his words that I quoted is summed up in Tom's last sentence: to point out how, depsite obvous differences "there is little difference between the the Conquistadors of Spain and the Conqjuistadors of Wall Street." Our society functions under similar assumptions and presumptions. Thanks to you both for reading and responding.
Donegal Descendant
August 29, 2011 10:24 PM
I actually agree with you both; however I suspect you may have misinterpreted my statement and overlooked the following: "not as an excuse, as many people mistakenly interpret it, but as an explanation."
zacherydtaylor
August 31, 2011 09:29 AM
Plus ca change...
Myriad
August 31, 2011 05:07 PM
...plus c'est la meme chose.
Myriad, my point exactly. For all the differences, our society has a lot in common with past societies. We see their foibles but not our own parallel ones.
Donegal Descendant
September 01, 2011 01:04 AM