My point is not that its impossible for the Spanish to have been viewed as "gods", but that after prolonged exposure that some if not most of the Mexica would not have concluded that they were NOT "gods". The example I gave from Diaz, indicates that Montazuma the man most, allegedly, taken with the idea of Cortez as a "god", most decidely NOT taking him for one, and this is before his kidnapping and the uprising. The logical inference is that if Montazuma could so conclude so could others.

I point out the examples you gave i/e., some modern tribes have so taken modern Europeans, that such "mistakes", are temporary and do not last long after any sort of sustained contacts. I note that the "corgo cults" did not take for "gods", for very long any way, the Europreans who were trading, traveling, among them.

The classic example is of course the European encounter with the tribes of Highland New Guinea, in the late twenties and early thirties of the last century. The natives may have initialy taken the Europeans for some sort of supernatural force but it ussually disapated in a matter of weeks if not hours.

The fact is the Spanish came into the Aztec capital with large numbers of bearers etc., from places which allied with the Spanish because they wanted allies against the allies and seemed to be aware they were not "gods", and had daily contact for months with the inhabitants of the capital all of which would likely disapate the idea the Spanish were "gods". None of this is to deny that the Mexica would not have continued to take the Spanish as possessing supernatural / magical powers, like the Mexica's own Priests. I just frankly can't take seriously the idea that after sustained contact the Mexica would have still overwhelmingly concluded that they were "gods", esspecially since many of the Indians who came with the Spanish could easily have told them the truth. I just can't imagine people so unobservant and clueless. The New Guinea Highlanders, I should point out were not even initially unanimous that the Explorers were "supernatural", so why should the Mexica have done so?

Pierre