How Did Cortes Conquer The Aztec Empire

It is often assumed that when Cortes first arrived in the Americas, he was able to quickly dismantle the Aztec empire with little support outside the army he brought from Spain. But to put it simply, this idea is a myth that perpetuates a very eurocentric interpretation of history. In reality there were a number of factors that lead to the swift Spanish conquering of the Aztec Empire, but the general idea of what happened can be summed up like this: The spanish conquest of the Aztecs was not a result of overwhelming spanish technological and tactical superiority, but a result of a culmination of factors, namely, Aztec blunders, disease, and native rebellions. When Cortes arrived on mainland America, he had only a small force with him. His

The Tlaxcalans were a force that had never been conquered by the Aztecs, and fiercely opposed occupation of any kind. Because of this, when they first encountered the Spaniards, they treated them as a threat -- an invading force, and attacked. The attack was ineffective though, and the Spanish and the Tlaxcalans quickly realized that it was in both of their best interests to work together to bring down the Aztecs, who both considered to be the primary threat on the continent. They would then form a formal alliance, and would be some of the most important forces under Spanish command. Soon after, Cortes would enter the city of Cholula. At first the spanish were welcomed into the city, but the calm would not last. After suspecting a plot against him, Cortes ordered a massacre of innocent civilians in the City, killing thousands, taking prisoners that would be sent off to be sacrificed, and burning many parts of the city. Despite this after the deed was done Cortes helped rebuild the city, and promised to pardon the Cholulans of their alleged misdeeds if they would swear allegiance to Spain. And that is what they did. While they did not directly contribute to the Spanish army, Cortes had secured an ally in the region, further increasing the number of regional states that had become openly hostile to the Aztec

The Aztec leadership makes some critical blunders. When Cortes, a man who has been ravaging across the continent and destroying anything in his way, arrived in Tenochtitlan, Montezuma welcomes him with open arms. It is often debated whether or not Montezuma believed Cortes to be a literal god, or if he was simply trying to get more information about who the spanish were. Either way Montezuma treated the spanish lavishly, despite being completely capable of ordering their deaths at any time, he toured them around the city, gave them a luxurious palace to stay in, and allowed them relatively free movement throughout the city. This was a critical mistake by Montezuma, one that would bring the Aztec empire one step closer to being conquered. Soon after being given the palace in Tenochtitlan, the Spanish took Montezuma hostage in the palace. With the Aztec ruler hostage in their palace, the Spanish ensured that they would not be attacked, cut off, or sieged in all but the most dire circumstances. This allowed the Spanish to control essentially a fortress in the middle of the Aztec capital, while also having crippled the Aztec leadership structure, and giving them a powerful bargaining tool. This trust of the spanish was a major blunder, and it essentially turned the tables of who was in power in the City, putting the Spanish in a position of