Signs: sleep, eat, conquer, repeat

The Spaniards did defeat the Indians with signs. However, this is not as simple as it may seem. They defeated the Indians because of their superior inter-human communication capabilities. The Spaniards culturally focus more on the art of warfare along with how to manipulate communication to further their objectives. On the other hand, the Aztecs’ cultural values focused on communication between the natural world as well as their deities. This gap in communication practices is one of the reasons for the downfall of the Indians.

The Spaniards were easily able to uncover what drove the Indians and then they used it against them. Gods and the natural world were held in high regard and the Spanish used this knowledge to their advantage by utilizing the skills they had learned about manipulation. On page 123 Todorov states, “Language has always been the companion of empire”. This quote proves true in the case of the Spaniards and the Indians. If the communication practices between the two peoples were similar there most likely would have been a different outcome, but since the gap existed it was quite easy for the Spaniards to take advantage of it. The empire built by the Spanish depended in part on their ability to understand and respond to possible weaknesses gleaned among the natives. The signs portrayed were manipulated by the Spanish for their own benefit.

Besides signs and language, the Spanish also had the advantage of advanced weapon technology and resistance to different diseases which they were exposed to in Europe. These advantages also played a significant role in their conquering and without them, I do not believe manipulation of signs would have been enough to take over the land. Simply put the Spaniards did defeat the Indians by signs, because of their ability to manipulate communication, the knowledge of which was derived from their cultural standards. Yet it is important to note that there were other factors besides communication which backed these signs such as the lack of illness, in comparison to the copious amounts who fell ill within the Aztecs, along with the Spaniards superior knowledge of weaponry. The bland statement of: The Spaniards did defeat the Indians with signs, seems unsupported, one must define the context behind the signs as well as acknowledge other factors which went into the conquering of the Americas.