Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I guess we will have to disagree. My main problem is that I do not view the emic accounts that you refer to has uncontaminated by emic Spanish and post hoc rationalizations. The simple fact in my opinion is that the view that the Mexica would have viewed the Spanish as "gods", despite long exposure to them before Alvardo's massacre in the Plaza, to say nothing of the large number of Talaxans, both soldiers and bearers who came with them, who would have been in contact with the inhabitants of Tenotichlan would not have given them information that would have lead some, at least, to conclude the Spanish for "gods".

I can imagine the following conversation between a Mexica and a Talaxan bearer.

Mexica, "Whats it like working for gods?". Talaxan bearer, "Gods!, Yeah Right!!"

As for the actual behavior of certain Mexica at the time of the conquest. How about the following interaction between Montazuma and Cortez, which happened before Cortez took Montazuma prisoner.

Quote

Our Captain said to Montezuma, through our interpreters, with something like a laugh: ‘Lord Montezuma, I cannot imagine how a prince as great and wise as your Majesty can have failed to realize that these idols of yours are not gods but things, the proper name for which is devils. But so that I may prove this to you, and make it clear to all your, papas, grant me one favour. Allow us to erect a cross here on the top of the tower, and let us divide off a part of this sanctuary where your Huichilobos and Tezcatlipoca stand, as a place where we can put an image of Our Lady’ — which image Montezuma had already seen — ‘and then you will see, by the fear that your idols have of her, how grievously they have deceived you.’
Montezuma, however, replied in some temper (and the two papas beside him showed real anger): ‘Lord Malinche, if I had known that you were going to utter these insults I should not have shown you my gods. We hold them to be very good. They give us health and rain and crops and weather, and all the victories we desire. So we are bound to worship them and sacrifice to them, and I beg you to say nothing more against them.’
On hearing this and seeing Montezuma’s fury, our Captain said no more on the subject but observed cheerfully: ‘It is time for your Majesty and ourselves to depart.’ Montezuma replied that this was so, but that he had to pray and offer certain sacrifices on account of the great tatacul — that is to say sin — which he had committed in allowing us to climb his great cue and being instrumental in letting us see his gods and in the dishonour we had done them by our abuse. Therefore before he left he must pray and worship.

From The Conquest of New Spain, Penguin Books, Bernal Diaz, 1963, pp. 237-238.

Montazuma is supposidly the one most enamoured with the idea of Cortez as Quetzalcoatl yet here we do not see him in awe of his "god", but instead rather effectively putting Cortez in his place. If Montazuma could "figure it out" I rather suspect others could also to say nothing of this knowledge "filtering down". Also before Alvarado's massacre there was for example, the incident at Almeria were Mexica 8 Spanards were killed, along with one horse. Apparently this incident involved several Mexica military leaders who Cortez after he seized Montazuma had burned alive. And Apparently Montazuma intrigued with Narvaez against Cortez. Also Montazuma advised Cortez before the uprising to leave. This doesn't exactly indicate that Montazuma thought Cortez and his men were "gods".

If you state that some of the Mexica thought the spanish were "gods", for a time that is reasonable, if you state that the overwhelming majority thought they were "gods" right up to the uprising, you've lost me. This goes so much against common sense and evidence regarding personal behavior of the Spanish with Mexica that it cannot be taken seriously without incredibly convincing evidence and contaiminated post-hoc rationlizations aren't it.

Pierre