First Impressions: The Spanish and the Aztec

Through written and artistic accounts of the first encounters between the Aztecs and the Spanish, we are able to see how the first impressions of each group affected how they dealt with each other. There is much evidence of the Spanish first impressions of the Aztecs, but because the Spanish destroyed most of the written and artistic accounts of these events, we are left with little evidence of the Aztec perspective towards meeting Cortés and the Spaniards for the first time. However, with the evidence that still exists, it is possible to see at least some distinction in how these images and impressions of the Spanish may have impacted the Aztecs. Whether in speculating the differences in clothing, physical appearance, or practices, the Spanish and the Aztecs perceived each other differently and that affected the outcome of their actions towards each one another.
Probably the strongest piece of evidence in the Spanish first impression of the Aztecs, are the letters from Fernando...