Tzevetan Todorov (1939-)

Christopher Columbus

Todorov's Columbus is a man consciously concerned with the salvation of the world, but unconsciously concerned only with its natural wonders. What at first seems to be a certain shrewdness in human communications rapidly gives way to indifference and even bungling as Columbus becomes more and more wrapped up in the world he has found (as opposed to its inhabitants). Curiously, Todorov presents this lack of interest in the "other" as a sign of Columbus' similarity to the Indians! Columbus is the quintessential Medieval thinker, according to Todorov: unable to acknowledge that someone can be different from himself and equal (and to be unequal is to be something less than human.

Hernán Cortés

Todorov presents Cortés as the ultimate opportunist, adeptly exploiting the psychology of and innate fractures in Indian psychology to expedite his takeover. This view of Cortés emphasizes his callous, Machiavellian nature;indeed, Todorov explicitly makes the connection to Machiavelli several times. Cortés' goal is always gold; while Columbus sought it as a justification for his voyage and a guarantee that he would make more than one trip to the naturally beautiful Americas, Cortés sets the tone for the Spanish colonial effort in his quest for gold as a means to improve his wealth, influence, and status. Todorov places Cortés in a category of being able to recognize the value of what the Indians produce, but not the Indians themselves beyond their capacity for production.

Bartolomé de las Casas

As a Dominican priest horrified by the terrible violence wrought by the Spanish against the Indians, Las Casas represents the first publicized sympathy towards the Indians on the part of a European colonist. While the Indians (and Todorov) admire his campaign against brutality, his fellow Spaniards sabotage his attempts to protect the Indians at every turn. Las Casas' thought pops up throughotu the book, as Todorov leans on him as a voice of modernity, speaking out against slavery, oppression, and intolerance. Unfortunately, Todorov emphasizes that Las Casas never really makes the leap beyond loving the Indians to understanding them; moreover, he agrees with the conquistadors that converting them to Christianity and bringing them under the rule of Spain is the right thing to do, only differing in method.

Diego Durán

Having lived in America since he was eight years old, Durán offers the first chance for an educated European to be able to really explain what the Indians think. Another Dominican, his inclusion in this work is an effort of Todorov's to find a soul who has a purpose behind understanding the Indians other than violence, or at least someone who has more to offer than hindsight. He also serves to illustrate one more way in which the Spanish combat the Indians; whenDurán publishes his Codex of Indian cultural elements, he is accused of helping to keep the Indian culture alive. However,Durán, like most Europeans, actually feels that understanding and index their cultural is the best way of eliminating it; in this way, he acts as a censor, subjecting himself to the culture so that he may spare others of it. Todorov presents him as someone too close to his subjects, possessing too much understanding, to do anything other than explain the actions of the Indians; he does not judge them.

Bernardino de Sahagún

A Franciscan, he became fluent in Nahuatl and used his abilities and those of his students to construct the Florentine Codex, a description of the daily lives of the Aztecs before the Spanish arrived. Todorov claims that Sahagún's legacy is one of data hoarding, collecting as much information as possible without taking the time to understand it. He is included here both as a testament to the importance of his mission in preserving the way of life of the Aztecs and because of his unconventional belief that Spanish governance wasnot the best thing for Mexico; his historical perspective allowed him to see that the Spanish were replacing a system that had worked well for a very long time with one that was never meant to contain Indians.

Minor Personalities

La Malinche:
Guerrero:
Cabeza de Vaca:
Montezuma:

Communication with Man

Verbal and Nonverbal
The Requierimiento
The exploitation of misunderstanding
Acting
Europe

Communication with the World

Interpreting signs
Gathering information
Religion
Understanding
The Indians

Identity of the Other

The belief that a people can be different from and equal to another
Dehumanizing the other
What makes someone abarbarian?

The Importance of Signs

The Indians' faith in signs
Interpretation of omens
Communication
Signs over swords