history

The Aztec Empire was the largest civilization of the Americas in the early 16th century until Spanish conquistadors arrived in the New World. A motley crew of men from Spain, they were led by Hernan Cortes who intended to expand lands for the Spanish monarch and through many factors he was able to do just that. The three main factors that contributed to the fall of Tenochtitlan by the hands of Spanish conquistadors were significance of native allies, difference in battle tactics among the natives and conquistadors, and widespread disease. Another chapter in the Spanish colonization of the Americas, this one stands out in particular due to its unorthodox sequence of events that led a small group of men to defeating an entire empire in a few short years.
The simple fact remains that without the aid of native allies, Cortes and his men would not have achieved the same success if any. After all, Hernan Cortes arrived on the shores of Yucatan in 1519 with a paltry band of 500 men. Not so much soldiers as they were hidalgos, these men were not trained in military tactics or had extensive experience in battle; many were even illiterate. Still, they were among the many who dreamed of sailing to the newly discovered Indies where they could enrich themselves and climb up in the world. European expansion was unprecedented due to the level of navigation skills, military enterprise, and resolution to gain new lands and wealth while preaching the word of the Lord. Conquistadors used all those as a backdrop but their intentions varied slightly. Cortes sought to expand the Spanish empire but he also longed for prosperity although his situation looked bleak. Fortunately for him, he encountered allies almost immediately after he arrived.
First th...

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...ish the defiance but the Spanish with newly acquired allies defeated the advancing army” (Castillo). It was here at Cempoala that the Spanish meet the Tlaxcalans for the first time, prompting a standoff between the two. Openly opposing the Mexica empire, the Tlaxcalans were a force to be reckoned with since they had twice prevented Aztec domination (Portilla) and were suspicious of the Spanish at first especially when the conquistadors accepted gifts from the emperor. A battle ensued in which the Spanish won only because the natives decided they could benefit from a treaty seeing as they had a common enemy. Cortes would think it was his genius in converting the Tlaxcalans to his cause but really it was them manipulating them for their own agenda. As a result from this battle, many other tribes resolved to join the Spanish out of respect including the Tlaxcalans.