A Clash of Metaphors: An Examination of Nahua and Spanish World Views

Western consciousness relies on polarized social metaphors (e.g., science versus poetry) to apprehend reality. Polarity stands in contention with the dual consciousness of the Nahua ("Aztecs"), whose behaviors and practices reveal an overarching belief in oneness in duality. To illuminate the ways this clash of metaphors influenced the events of the Conquest of Mexico, I interpret the self-constituted metaphor of Nahua identity, the performed metaphor of human sacrifice, and the duality inherent in Nahuatl syntax.