The history of slavery between the Spanish and the Aztec was well known. Each nation thought of the enslavement differently. The Aztec society was focused on producing good citizens who would contribute to the community. Each citizen had to live by the written laws that have been made by the Aztecs. In Tenochtitlan you could become a slave if you violate the law. Unlike slaves in Europe, the Aztec’s perspective of being a slave was not shameful, but simply viewed as bad luck. Despite their position in the society, the Aztecs established laws to protect the rights of the slaves, because of imperative work that they had performed. Slaves had the right to keep their property and even their own slaves. Nobles could be executed for beating a slave to death. The Aztec philosophy of slavery consisted of improving your mindset and developing your freedom which meant that slavery was not considered permanent. An Aztec slave could buy back their liberty by showing that they have been abused, run to the emperor’s palace, have children which were born free or get married to their commander in the higher level. After the discovery of the New World, Christian colonists decided to use slaves for labor and improvement of Spain. During their exploration, the Spanish converted many Indigenous people to Christianity and abolished their culture. A big population of the Indigenous people were used as slaves. More than 90 million of the Indigenous people died from diseases and the harsh work brought by the Spanish. To increase their income, Christian Spain also traded slaves with other nations. Zero respect was given from the Spanish to their slaves who could not earn back their freedom and faced death as the only choice of survival. By looking at how each of these nations managed the enslavement in their societies, it is hard to believe that the Spanish and the Aztec shared any similarities about it.
The history of slavery between the Spanish and the Aztec was well known. Each nation thought of the enslavement differently. The Aztec society was focused on producing good citizens who would contribute to the community. Each citizen had to live by the written laws that have been made by the Aztecs. In Tenochtitlan you could become a slave if you violate the law. Unlike slaves in Europe, the Aztec’s perspective of being a slave was not shameful, but simply viewed as bad luck. Despite their position in the society, the Aztecs established laws to protect the rights of the slaves, because of imperative work that they had performed. Slaves had the right to keep their property and even their own slaves. Nobles could be executed for beating a slave to death. The Aztec philosophy of slavery consisted of improving your mindset and developing your freedom which meant that slavery was not considered permanent. An Aztec slave could buy back their liberty by showing that they have been abused, run to the emperor’s palace, have children which were born free or get married to their commander in the higher level. After the discovery of the New World, Christian colonists decided to use slaves for labor and improvement of Spain. During their exploration, the Spanish converted many Indigenous people to Christianity and abolished their culture. A big population of the Indigenous people were used as slaves. More than 90 million of the Indigenous people died from diseases and the harsh work brought by the Spanish. To increase their income, Christian Spain also traded slaves with other nations. Zero respect was given from the Spanish to their slaves who could not earn back their freedom and faced death as the only choice of survival. By looking at how each of these nations managed the enslavement in their societies, it is hard to believe that the Spanish and the Aztec shared any similarities about it.