The meeting between Hernán Cortés and the Spanish expedition at Tenochtitlan, the Mexican imperial city during the reign of Montezuma, brought a vivid depiction of the conflict and discord between these two forces which would prosper to a large extent. different accounts and perspectives on the incidents that followed during and after the confrontation. Bernard Sahagún wrote the “Florentine Codex” which describes this series of events from the accounts of the indigenous and Spanish population based on their religious motivations and their interpretation of the truth. This is a different account of events by Cortés through his personal letters to Charles V, which aims to provide substantial justification for his actions in Mexico in a positive humanist light. These two sources are targeted by Inga Clendinnen because of their weaknesses and ambiguities in their work. These composers provide a contrast of imagery depicting the actual events of the meeting, but it is when these texts are examined collectively that we, as the reader, can gain insight into the past that would not have been possible if the sources had been interpreted independently. The works present different models of relations between Europeans and indigenous people presented by Cortés and Montezuma. The depiction of the arrival of the Spanish in Mexico is seen by Cortés in his letters as an act of colonization and aimed at expanding the Spanish Empire securely under Emperor Charles V as a vassal state (Cortés 1986, p 87). Their belief in this "white man's burden" to civilize the native Aztecs is supported at the meeting by the exchange of gifts (Cortés 1986, p. 85) which, in their context, depicts submission. For the Aztecs however, the meeting could have been replicated...... middle of paper...... versions of the same meeting could have been interpreted so differently between Spanish and indigenous accounts in cultural and religious contexts distinct. between Christians and Aztec sun worship and how awareness of the methods and scale taken by Sahagún and Clendinnen shows a resistance that was never mentioned by the Spanish. A collaboration of thoughts and interpretations can enrich our understanding of the interaction between the Spanish and the Aztecs. Works Cited • Clendinnen, Inga. “Fierce and unnatural cruelty.” In Encounters of the New World. Berkley: University of California Press, 1993. P. 12-23.• Cortés, Hernán. “The second letter”. In Letters from Mexico. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1986. Pg. 83-87. • Sahagún, Bernard. “The Conquest of Mexico.” In the Florentine Codex: Book 12. Santa Fe: The School of American Research, 1975. Pg. 43-45, 65.