The Conquest of America: The Question of the Other

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Summary: Columbus and the Making of the Savage Other
Review: In The Conquest of America Todorov delves deeply into the dark consequences (intended and unintended) of the European discovery of the Americas and represents the first important study of the influence of religious belief on the interactions beginning with Columbus with the "savage" Other. While many people attempt to dismiss the religious aspect of this relationship, but as Todorov shows it is central to understanding the dynamics of European conquest and the ultimate fate of the "New World's" indigenous inhabitants. Both in his letters and his diary Christopher Columbus repeatedly expresses his primary purpose as a religious one. Perhaps, due to the obvious problems for the Catholic Church that this represents this motive has taken a backseat to the supposed thirst for gold that has overshadowed the religious roots of this horrific tragedy ever since.

An important aspect of Todorov's thesis is his well-supported claim that it was precisely the claim to European racial superiority that the Christianity strongly reinforced[es] provided justification for the actions of the Spanish, even in its most severe manifestation. In fact, Todorov invokes the unimaginably horrible image of Catholic priests bashing Indian baby's heads against rocks, ostensibly to save them from damnation to Hell, which their "savage" culture would have otherwise consigned them to.
The logic of this deed and other like them illustrates the pernicious influence of Christianity in the Colonial project, which lies at the root of the hegemonic self-image of Western experience-first defined from the perspective of Columbus and Cortez.

If religion was a guiding principle in the lives of the conquerors, as Todorov points out, so to was it for the conquered, especially in the case of the Aztecs. Baffled by the paradox of the famous story concerning Cortez and his several hundred Conquistador's ability to defeat the entire Aztec empire, which numbered at least several million, Todorov reveals that it was primarily due to Montezuma's belief that Cortez and his party was Gods, which led to his reluctance to raise an army in opposition. In the middle section of the book Todorov gives a detailed analysis of this stunning historic event and shows that Cortez' victory was not necessarily due to any great military achievement, instead it was mostly the result of the Aztec's refusal to mount any kind of a effective defense until it was too late. Thus, it was Montezuma's indecision, born of his own religious belief that led to the sudden collapse of the Aztec empire.

In the final third of the book Todorov investigates the impact that these events have had on the subsequent writings on the subject. In particular, he focuses on the work of three writers, all Spanish, but among the first generations of Europeans native to South America. These works that are primarily only known to scholars in the field offer many surprises to the contemporary reader, showing that there was a far more open view of the non-European "Other" expressed by those who lived among them in the waning days after conquest. Perhaps, that is one of the most insidious luxuries of victory-the ability to show compassion for the defeated, but always, yet always too late.

Todorov's work is an important work, which would be of great interest to students of literature, history, cultural/indigenous studies and post-colonial theory. After reading this book Columbus Day and all that it necessarily represents will never be seen in the same way again.

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Summary: When cultures collide.....
Review: More than a simple history of the conquest of America, this book exposes many of the semiotic mechanisms that worked in favour of the conquistadors, and explains how the mighty Aztecs fell before a relatively small number of invaders. The narrative of the conquest of America serves as a sort of case study to illustrate Todorov's ideas concerning the Other, and ample supporting evidence is given from the writings of Columbus, Cortes, several Spanish historians of the period, and even some of the Aztecs' writings. The Conquest of America explores what happens when cultures collide, and signs loose their meaning. For example, and Aztec generals possess a special uniform that is designed to strike terror in to the hearts of the enemy, while for the Spanish, who are clearly not as supersitious as the Aztecs' former enemies, these special uniforms simply serve as a very clear sign indicating which soldiers to attack first. By targeting the commanders, Cortes quickly puts the defending army to rout. These miscues between the Spanish and the Aztecs occur at all levels: religious, linguistic, social, and in terms of general world view. Again and again both the Aztec and the invaders are unable to overcome (if that's the word) their inability to see what is happening around them through anything but their traditional frame of reference. When confronted with a new situation (i.e. a new continent, a new aggressor), each party proves unwilling to adapt, with grave consequences for the indigenous populations of Mexico. There are many lessons here for a world where globalization of trade and communication are bringing cultures into contact and, too often, conflict. A very enjoyable, eye-opening read.

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Summary: A brief recommendation
Review: Previous reviewers have been relatively thorough therefore I don't have much of value to add.
Suffice to say that this is one of the best books I've ever read.
For any student of human behavior I say it's a "must read" ...on many levels.

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Summary: Densely intellectual, but thought provoking
Review: This study of cultural confrontation between the Spanish and the Indian peoples of Central America and the Caribbean, subtitled "The Question of the Other," is a true work of scholarship. The author, who has read deeply into primary sources in Spanish, explains the intellectual questions he is addressing, particularly concerning cross-cultural communication and the use of symbols. He concludes that the Spanish advantage lay more in those areas than it did in military technology. While the book is predictably critical of Spanish treatment of the Indians, it also persuades the reader that Hernan Cortez was a very clever man. Illustrations from the period are interspersed throughout the text. This book requires sustained attention, and is not for the casual reader. Michael Michaud, Vienna, Austria

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Summary: Conquistador Mythology
Review: Tvetan Todorov's The Conquest of America: The Question of the Other perpetuates a number of the myths that surround the Spanish collision with the "New World".

Todorov reinforces the myth that the Aztecs believed the Spanish were gods, an idea that springs from the accounts of Diaz and from the earliest Indian accounts, all which were written over 30 years after the described events, by people without access to the inner workings of the Mexican court. The Indian accounts, written under Catholic supervision, do not relate to the "what happened" as much as they do to the "what should have happened." These Indians would not have known what happened and would have been well-versed in the accounts of their Spanish masters. The idea that Montezuma thought they were gods seems to be a good way for the Indians to explain what they did not understand.

Mistranslations of Indian words also account for this myth. Teotl, mistranslated by the Spanish to mean "god", more closely means "weird" or "strange". Todorov relies heavily on this myth to advance his thesis of miscommunication.

Todorov also falls into the trap of believing that the Aztecs were frozen by their obsession with signs and with astrology. He believes that the Aztecs were dominated by a past-oriented tradition whereas the Spanish were the only participants able to adapt. He argues that the Spanish use of written words gave them an ability that the oral-tradition based Aztecs did not. Reality, however, suggests that the Aztecs were very good at improvisation, especially during battle. Within the first few encounters with their Spanish enemies, the Aztecs learned how to beat horseman, how to avoid being hit by cannons, and that the Spanish were not impressed with tactics designed to frighten and demoralize the enemy.

Montezuma's lack of quick action does not mean he was frozen with fear, or that he was waiting for signs from his astrologers, instead it seems to be exactly what how a man who could put tens of thousands of soldiers in the field would react to a small party of Spanish. His gifts to the Spanish were not symbolic of his wishing to buy their friendship, but were a statement of Montezuma's power and wealth.

Todorov's book is important because it raises issues about how the self discovers the other. But it's advancement of outdated myths cannot be ignored.

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Summary: Excellent Groundwork
Review: Tzvetan Todorov is one of initial scholars who examines a clash between the social consciousness of Europe and Native America. The dynamics of the book is that it unleashes a tide of future study. One must be cautioned not to be too critical toward his work because he was one of the firsts to question eurocentrism in the New World, much of which had countered contemporary thinking of his time.