Final answer:
Columbus erroneously believed he had reached the East Indies and therefore named the indigenous people he met "Indians," underestimating their civilization from a Eurocentric perspective. The Aztecs saw the Spanish as possibly divine due to their unknown technologies.
Step-by-step explanation:
Christopher Columbus held several misconceptions about the people he encountered in the New World. Upon his arrival in the Bahamas and later on Hispaniola in 1492, Columbus mistakenly believed he had reached the East Indies and thus referred to the native Taínos as "Indios," which led to the term "Indian" being used for the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Columbus's European perspective and his belief in European superiority led him to perceive these native peoples as subordinate and less civilized.
The Aztecs, on the other hand, initially had a different impression of the Spanish. They witnessed the Spaniards' advanced weaponry and horses, which were unknown in the Americas, and interpreted these signs as potentially divine or supernatural. This reaction was part of larger misunderstandings between the two groups that had significant historical implications.