When Hernán Cortés landed in Vera Cruz in 1519, the Spaniard could not possibly understand the eventual effects of his arrival. As two cultures met – Aztec and Spanish – an inevitable exchange of material and cultural goods occurred that would play a significant role in the shaping of the modern world. But the degree to which exchange occurred was not always equivalent. At times, goods were transferred between both continents and the entire world reaped the benefits. In some cases though, the transfer was not always equal and had devastating effects.
If any one good moved most fluidly between both continents and enriched multiple societies, it would be food. In 1972, historian Alfred W. Crosby gave an expansive treatment of the idea as part of his construction of “The Columbian Exchange.” The extent of the transference of foods from one continent to the other is almost exhausting; in fact, many modern conceptions of national cuisines would be impossible pre-contact; imagining Italian food without the tomato, Thai food without the chile pepper, or Mexican food without chicken or pork seems implausible.
Perhaps the most impactful food was maize. While Europeans quickly attempted to establish wheat as the standard …show more content…
Officially recognized by the Church, she serves as the center of Mexican Catholicism . Simultaneously, indigenous proclaim her as Tonantzin, the Indian mother and ancient Aztec goddess. The duality and perhaps triplicity of Our Lady represents the manner by which exchange took on multiple forms during the encounter. While Catholicism did indeed become the dominant religion in the Americas, it was not the Catholicism that missionaries carried with them to the Americas. In a century where Catholicism, more broadly Christianity, became malleable with the writings of Martin Luther and John Calvin, the indigenous also left a considerable