Confrontation of Cortez and Montezuma

Chapter 1: The Confrontation Between Cortez and Montezuma (1519-1521)
If I had heard the account back in1522 I would have found the Native Americans portrayed as barbaric, savage, and cowardice creatures of myth. Cortez goes into a very detailed description of the religious sacrificing of humans, but shuns the details of other less “civilized” religious ceremonies. Personally, I view this as a way to make the Native Americans seem less civilized and more ruthless.
I believe the mythical and cowardice sense comes through the artwork portrayed in the chapter. In most of the artwo...