Chess is war

Chess legend Bobby Fisher himself said it: ‘Chess is like war on a board.’ Something that becomes clear when we take a look at the museum’s Peruvian Conquistadores chess game.

In March 1519 Spanish explorer and conqueror Hernán Cortés arrived at the South American coast. Despite his humble origins he had always dreamed of exotic adventures and great wealth. He made his journey to the New World not only to conquer territory in the name of the king, but also to make his own dreams come true.

Culture clash
Cortés was lucky: he got to the Aztec empire at exactly the right moment in time. The Aztecs believed that their god Quetzalcoatl would return to them in 1519, from across the ocean. To them, Cortés was the representative of their long lost god and they gave him a warm welcome. Without any resistance Cortés and his men were able to travel to the heart of the Aztec empire. They were the first Europeans to ever see the legendary Aztec capital Tenochtitlán. Aztec ruler Moctezuma II received his visitors with all the hospitality and politeness becoming of a European king, but still the two different cultures clashed.

Things nearly took a wrong turn when Cortés, an energetic and somewhat impatient man, approached Moctezuma II to shake his hand. Moctezuma’s bodyguards immediately intervened and worked Cortés to the ground. Simple mortals were strictly forbidden to touch the Aztec leader. Despite this little incident Cortés and his men were given their own palace in the city where they could stay for as long as they wished.

Babylonian confusion?
So now Cortés was where he wanted to be, but he still hadn’t conquered the territory on behalf of the Spanish monarchs. Fortunately, he didn’t have to wait for long for his chance to come. At the official welcome ceremony both parties presented each other with gifts and Moctezuma II made a speech. The language barrier was his downfall though. The Spaniards understood from his words that he wanted to serve as a vassal state under the Spanish crown. Until this day we don’t know whether this was truly a misunderstanding or whether the Spaniards deliberately misinterpreted Moctezuma’s words. From that moment on though, the Spanish considered themselves to be the official rulers of the Aztec empire. To reinforce the newly established balance of power, Cortés immediately imprisoned the Aztec leader. This led to an uprising of the Aztec people and they were able to ban Cortés and his men from Tenochtitlán.

Guns versus wooden swords
Much blood was shed in the battle that followed between the Aztecs and the Spaniards. Though the Spanish troops were outnumbered by the Aztecs, they won the war. The Spanish military supremacy was just too much for the Indians. Their bats, bows and arrows and wooden swords could not compete with horses, guns and steal swords. The Spanish conquest of Tenochtitlán, in August 1521, was the downfall of the Aztec empire. With this victory Cortés won the most powerful empire of South America for his king.

Many Caucasians followed Cortés’s footsteps and that was the end of most of the Indian tribes that came in contact with them. In the Chessmen Museum, the Spaniards are also lined up against an Indian people. Hopefully these players are more fortunate than the Aztecs…

By Marjette van Koperen