Draw upon historical records to contrast and explain the Aztec view of the Spanish and the Spanish view of the Aztecs at the time of contact. What role did religious beliefs play in the perceptions each held of the other?

By the 13th century the entire region, known then at that time as the Valley of Anahuac, was occupied by many and varied rival city-states. Among the last groups to arrive onto the region was the nomadic tribe of the Mexica, also known as the Aztecs.  The Aztecs considered themselves to be the chosen people of the sun and war god Huitzilopochtli. After coming upon an eagle perched on a cactus devouring a snake, a sign foretold in ancient tribal prophecy, the Aztecs founded their capital, Tenochtitlan, on an island in Lake Texcoco. They lived there for half a century by acting as mercenaries for the Tepanecs of Azcapotzalco, but eventually rose up against their rulers, and soon they had seized power over the valley.

Tenochtitlan soon became the capital city of a large empire with many great canals, colorful markets places and temple. It was inhabited by a highly organized society, ruled by a king and by a noble class of priests and tax collectors, a warrior elite and an active, vital merchant class. The state engaged in war with other states for two purposes: to exact tribute for maintaining the society and to capture prisoners for sacrifice to the gods.

Across the Atlantic Ocean, another great empire had recently accomplished somewhat of an empire of its own.  Spain had successfully completed the Reconquista. Finding a solid Muslim wall to the south in Northern Africa and the powerful French kingdom to the north, the only direction that the Spanish saw in which to expand was to the west. The popes had intentionally given sovereignty over any new lands discovered to the Portuguese; but with the advent of Columbus's discovery, the Spanish wished to end this legacy of Portuguese favoritism in the Vatican. Papal bulls of the 1450s had declared that the Portuguese had rights to any lands as far as the Indies, which actually gave Portugal the rights to the discovery of America.
Just as the Spanish conqueror Cortes learned of Moctezuma, Moctezuma learned of the coming of the Europeans.  According to later Aztec accounts, eight omens appeared to the people of Tenochtitlan foretelling the coming of the Spaniards: 1) A great column of fire burned in the night over Tenochtitlan. 2) The temple of Huitzilopochtli burned down mysteriously. 3) The temple of Xiuhtecuhtli was hit by lightning. 4) Fire, in three parts, streamed through the sky during the day. 5) Lake Texcoco boiled and flooded, destroying residences around the water. 6) A weeping woman was heard during the night, crying for the Aztecs to flee from the city. 7) A strange ashen crane appeared. Through a mirror in its head Moctezuma saw the stars, and when he looked again, he saw a land where men rode on the backs of animals and fought against each other. 8) Large, deformed men with two heads ran through the streets, but disappeared when they were brought to Moctezuma.

Messengers from the Totonac nation, who had been recently conquered by the Aztecs, urged Cortes to ally with them against the Aztecs. Realizing the importance of dissension within the empire, Cortes ordered his fleet to sail north to the Totonac capital at Cempoalla. The cacique of Cempoalla offered to provide Totonac troups to assist the Spanish in defeating Moctezuma and explained that many of the peoples under the Aztecs would most likely also wish to ally with Cortes. Before Cortes left, he established the first Spanish colony (Villa Rica) on the mainland at Cempoalla to be used as a launching point for future expeditions.

Since both the Aztecs had strong faith and a stable belief system, it would not have been such an easy task for the Spaniards to convert them, which they had strongly intended to do.  In response to failing to convert the Aztecs, the Spaniards saw no other alternative motive other than to persecute them.  The Aztecs tried to obtain their religious freedom, but were outnumbered and eventually failed, bringing an end to their majestic empire.