Ambivalent Conquest

From what I’ve read so far in Clendinnen’s book, I believe that it’s titled Ambivalent Conquests for three main reasons. Firstly according to Clendinnen, the Maya seemed to have amnesia in past experiences with the Spanish. Secondly, the first time that the Spanish traversed the Yucatan Peninsula, they rarely had to fight the Maya people. Thirdly, Clendinnen mentions that whenever Spanish landed and/or stayed on Cozumel, there was never any fighting, and sometimes the Spaniards were welcomed and helped, in a sense.

The first reason I mention is somewhat troubling – I wish there were sources left behind that would inform us more on why the Maya chose to act the ways they did. Why were the Maya so “forgetful” and so wishy-washy on how they dealt with the intruders? Near the end of Chapter Two Clendinnen talks about this. She ponders why the Maya were friendly on first  experiences with the Spanish but violent a second time, or, as she says more troubling, why they were violent on the first meetings but ambivalent on the second. 

On page 18 in her book, Clendinnen mentions that for several years after about 1535, the Maya were not bothered much by the Spanish. “One of the Spanish barques skirting their coasts might turn and come in for water, taking it with or without a fight, but usually the ships sailed out where the water was deep, [as] remote as passing gulls.” During the first explorations of the Yucatan, Clendinnen also mentions that the Spanish were more focused on surviving the harsh, dry, “inhospitable” land than conquering. They had occasional skirmishes with the natives, like when the Spanish were so desperate for supplies that they rushed in and stole maize and water. 

Clendinnen tells us that Cozumel is naturally protected by the troubles of the mainland peninsula because of the strong and rough waters that lay in between. On pages 20-21 she talks about this: “…the fleet sailed to Cozumel, where they were given the usual friendly reception by the amiable Naum Pat.” She goes on to say that the explorers were reprieved later on by a lucky chance meeting with Naum Pat, where he resupplied them with food and water.

A fourth reason could go along with Restall’s myth of extraordinary men. Clendinnen talks about how Montejo had about 400 men with him under his command, while the Mayans had numerical superiority (as well as knowledge of the hostile landscape) – page 32. Along with the use of the cotton armor and better weapons, like in the rest of Mexico and Peru, the Spanish still came out on top.