How did the Spanish manage to communicate with the Aztecs and Incas?

The Spanish communicated with the Aztecs and Incas through interpreters, often indigenous people who had learned Spanish.

When the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the Americas, they faced a significant challenge: how to communicate with the indigenous peoples they encountered, such as the Aztecs and Incas. The solution was found in the use of interpreters, often indigenous individuals who had learned Spanish. These interpreters played a crucial role in the Spanish conquest, serving as a bridge between two vastly different cultures.

One of the most famous interpreters was a Nahua woman known as La Malinche, or Doña Marina. She was given to Hernán Cortés, the leader of the Spanish expedition, as a slave. La Malinche knew both the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs and Mayan dialects, and she quickly learned Spanish. Her linguistic skills, combined with her understanding of Aztec culture and politics, made her an invaluable asset to Cortés. She not only translated for him but also advised him on how to navigate the complex political landscape of the Aztec empire.

In the case of the Incas, communication was more challenging due to the linguistic diversity of the Inca Empire. The Incas spoke Quechua, but there were many other languages spoken throughout their vast territory. The Spanish relied on a system of relay interpretation, using a chain of interpreters to translate from Spanish to Quechua and then to other local languages. This system was far from perfect and often led to misunderstandings.

The use of interpreters was not without controversy. The interpreters were often in a precarious position, caught between their loyalty to their own people and their dependence on the Spanish. Moreover, the Spanish were not always accurate or truthful in their translations, sometimes manipulating the message to serve their own interests. Despite these challenges, the role of interpreters was crucial in the Spanish conquest of the Aztec and Inca empires. Without them, the Spanish would have struggled to negotiate, gather information, and ultimately subjugate these powerful civilisations.