History is replete with examples of how Prophecies not only predicted the future, but also shaped the future. Cortez and the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire is an excellent point in case of this repeated historic phenomenon.

In the ancient world of Central America one of the earliest and greatest civilizations to rise from the soil of Mexico were the Toltec. This great Empire flourished at about the same period of time as the Roman Empire. Archeologists know very little about these people, but they do know some of their legends and prophecies. A most interesting Toltec End of Days prophecy tells of Quetzalcoatl, a white-skinned, bearded priest-king who came from the East to establish an enlightened kingdom among the Indians. In this Toltec legend it is told that he gave to the people writing, architecture and reverence to the gods then he departed from the lands of the Toltec by way of the great ocean toward the setting sun. When Quetzalcoatl departed he promised that he would one day return and when he again would return it would be the End of Days for their world. Quetzalcoatl further promised that as the appointed day of his second coming approached, heavenly omens would be ominous and would bring to an end to the great Empire of the Sun.

The Aztec embraced many of the ways of the Toltec including their language (Nahuatl) and the legend of the Quetzalcoatl, who was seen by the Aztecs as the Great Plumed Serpent. When Montezuma II was chosen to be the Priest king of the Aztecs, he was told by his astrologers that the Prophecy of the Plumed Serpent (End of Days) was about to draw near, so he carefully watched the heavens and earth for signs (omens) of the impending end.

Nezhaulcoyotl a wise old astrologer Priest gave Montezuma II detailed warnings of a new astrological age that was beginning in the Aztec calendar. One of the omens was a famine which developed in 1507. Then shortly afterwards an earthquake occurred following the "Lighting of the New Age" ceremony inaugurated by Montezuma II. These were interpreted as early signs of the Prophecy of the Plume Serpent's end of Days.

Each year thereafter until Hernando Cortes invaded Mexico in 1518, the Aztecs saw what they thought were new omens appearing. A comet with three heads and sparks shooting from its tail was seen flying in the eastward sky. In another year, another comet, described as "a pyramidal light, which scattered sparks on all sides, rose at midnight from the eastern horizon till the apex reached the zenith, and faded at dawn." This phenomenon appeared for 40 nights, and was interpreted as the Plumed Serpent conveying a great message that presages "wars, famine, pestilence, and mortality among the lords."

In 1508, Montezuma II visited Tlillancalmecatl ("Place of Heavenly Learning"), where it was said that he was given a rare bird with a most brilliant crest. As Montezuma II peered at the bird’s crest he saw stars in reflection and "fire sticks" (guns). The image changed to show the advances of warriors riding great 4 legged beasts which spout smoke from their nostrils; he believed they were demons sent from the gods.

Again in the year of 1508 another ominous message, Montezuma’s sister Paranazin collapsed into a cataleptic trance that was mistaken for death. She recovered while the funeral procession was taking her to the royal crypt. She said that during her trance she received a vision from the gods that showed her great ships coming from a distant land. These ships carried hairy faced men who arrived bearing weapons, carrying banners, and wearing "metal hats"Eand “metal dressE She said that these strange looking men were to become masters of the Aztecs.

Aztec historic accounts recall several days in 1519 that a comet hung over the capital city of Tenochtitlan (site of Mexico City where it was reported to have over 2 million inhabitants). It was described as "a rip in the sky which bleeds celestial influences onto the Aztec world." After that omen, a thunderbolt struck and burned down the temple of the deity Huitilopchitli. The last omen came one night, again to Tenochtitlan. A woman's voice was heard "coming from everywhere and nowhere... crying 'my children, my children, we are lost!'"

From these recalled historic accounts it is obvious that the Aztecs understood that the End of Days was upon them and that their doom was originating with the celestial powers and influences from the gods, as it was predicted in the Prophecy of the plumed Serpent.

Anticipating the momentous event of Quetzalcoatl’s return, Montezuma II had posted watchers on the coast to draw images of the white skinned aliens and deliver them to him. The emperor was amazed that the light-skinned, bearded figures matched the traditional descriptions of Quetzalcoatl.

History has no records of Cortez’s planned invasion of the Aztec Empire. What is historically known is that Cortez was the Spanish governor of Cuba and he had planned his invasion of the Aztecs with the purpose of becoming a ruler of a great new kingdom. History does show Cortez was a great military strategist and like any great military mind he probably carefully planned his invasion with meticulous detail and care.

It is known that Cortez had reports about the Aztec city of gold and he probably sent spies to the region to verify these reports. It is also known that Cortez knew who the enemies of the Aztec were and planned on using them against the Aztec if necessary. It may not be too improbably to speculate that this diabolical conqueror planned his invasion day on a special day that coincided with the Aztec Plumed Serpent Prophecy found on the Aztec calendar. To do so would have assured him and his small army of conquistadors a special physiological military advantage against the Aztecs and their King.

Was it then mere coincidence, or did the hands of the Fate steer CortesE ships to land on April 22, 1519, the very day that the Aztec calendar calculated for Quetzalcoatl’s return at the end of the 13th Heaven and the beginning of the 9 Hells? Or was it by a quark of cosmic coincidence, a combination of natural and supernatural factors? Cortez the conquistador using the date of the prophecy for his military advantage to defeat the Aztec would certainly seem highly probably. Keep in mind that the historic events of this period were written with the pens of Catholic missionaries, and Conquistadors.

Greatly outnumbered by the Aztecs Cortez had a plan to grow his numbers by converting the enemies of the Aztec to his side. Cortez’s plan was simple, invade and defeat the local non-Aztec tribes with shock and awe, allow the chiefs to sue for peace, and then incorporate their warriors into the service of the conquistadors.

When Cortez thought he had sufficient force he began his attack on costal Aztec cites and conquered their chiefs. After the conquest of a large Aztec city Cortez gave to the Chief  his metal helmet and commanded them to take it to the emperor and return it filled with gold. The helmet itself was an object of wonder to the Aztecs: it was almost identical to that worn by the great deity Huitzilopochtli.

When the Priest King Montezuma II saw Cortez’s metal helmet he marveled at its similarity to the great deity Huitzilopochtli helmet as depicted on temple walls and books of the Aztecs. The King held the metal helmet in his hands issuing an order to fill the helmet with gold and to warn the Spaniards to come no closer. It is said that King Montezuma II was relieved to know that the Spaniards only wanted gold and not the precious of the most precious the Aztec Jades.

When Cortez’s messengers returned with the gold his greed for wealth and power drew him inexorably toward conquering Tenochtitlan. His troops had grown smaller in number with the battles and the malaria. Cortez issued a message to Cuba to send for reinforcements for the final battle for the Aztec capital.

When the three Spanish ships arrived with commanders and fresh conquistadors a power struggle incurred. The Spanish Admiral out ranked Cortez and ordered him to follow his command over the conquest of the Aztecs. Cortez was alarmed by this power play and cold bloodedly killed the Spanish admiral when he slept. To prevent mutiny among the troops, Cortes burned the ships and declared that all conquered people would be their salves and all gold and goods would be shared amongst them. The ratio of 30% to the conquistadors, 30% to Cortez and 40% to the King and Church were said to have been the calculation for distributing the spoils. 

The cavalry-mounted Spanish forces quickly unified and gathered the warriors from defeated tribes who and set off to invade the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan.
Though nearly overwhelmed with superstitious fear of the mythic Quetzalcoatl, Montezuma II is said to have greeted Cortes at the city gates with the words: "O Lord, with what trouble have you journeyed to reach us, have arrived in this land, your own country of Mexico, to sit on your throne, which I have been guarding for you this while; I have been watching for you, for my ancestors told that you would return. Welcome to this land. Rest a while; rest in your palace." Although he was outnumbered militarily by more than 1000 to 1 (Montezuma’s palace guard alone was larger than Cortes' entire expedition), Cortes boldly accepted the offer, but their greed and their lack of cultural sensitivities soon ran folly and Montezuma ordered their expulsion from the capital.

War was inevitable and Cortez ordered a military siege of Tenochtitlan using techniques employed in castle sieges in Europe, which included the use of biological warfare of catapulting diseased animals and human black plaque remains over the walls of the city. The Spaniards finally seized the capital where the suffering, dying, starving, diseased population had taken a great toll.

 In the course of ensuing events, the Spaniards seized Montezuma II and displayed the captive king to his subjects. Reacting in anger, the people stoned and fatally wounded the great Priest King. As he lay dying, Montezuma II had a wondrous vision. He told it to Tula, his favorite daughter. Later, she told it to the Tezcucan noble Iztlilzochitl, who recorded it:

"To the world I have said farewell. I see its vanities go away from me one by one. Last in the line and most loved, most glittering is power, and in its hands I see my heart. A shadow creeps over me, darkening all without, but brightening all within, and in the brightness, lo, I see my people and their future! "The long, long cycles, two, four, eight, pass away, and I see the tribes newly risen, like the trodden grass, and in their midst a Priesthood and a Cross. An age of battle more, and lo! There remains the Cross, but not the priests; in their stead is Freedom and Great Creator. "I know the children of the Aztecs, crushed now, will live, and more after ages of wrong suffered by them, they will rise up, and take their place --- a place of splendor --- amongst the deathless nations of the earth. What I was given to see was revelation. Cherish these words, O Tula; repeat them often, make them a cry of the people, a sacred tradition; let them go down with the generations, one of which will, at last, understand the meaning of the words FREEDOM And Great Creator, now dark to my understanding; and then, not till then, will be the new birth and new career." (Of course this interpretation of the great Kings vision was probably subverted by the Jesuit missionaries as were all the historical events of the time and period).

The prophecy of the Plumed Serpent and the arrival of CortesEship on the day of Quetzalcoatl predicted return caused the Aztecs to put up little resistance to the Spaniards, who soon conquered the empire with but a tiny military contingency of conquistadors. The prophecy of the Plumed Serpent was fulfilled.

Throughout the known history of humanity the mystical aspect of prophecy fulfillment appears as a common recurrence. Perhaps, in a most peculiar way, humanity races toward its prophecies by self-fulfillment, just as the Aztecs so did 500 years ago.

One can not lightly discount the writings of the Bible and the book of revelations as it speaks of omens that will be sent by God to place notice on the worthy before the coming of the End of Days. Perhaps, in a most peculiar way humanity is racing toward such a prediction by self-fulfillment, just as the Aztec so did 500 years ago. Only the hand that has yet to write the pages of history to follow will know if such a prophecy will ever be fulfilled.

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