Cynthia Escalante

Dawn Miller
History
3/12/09
How the Spanish Conquered the Aztecs

There were many ways how the Spanish were able to conquer the Aztec Empire. First,

after the battle in Veracruz the Spanish gained a new friend (Malintzin). She was a Mayan who

spoke Mayan and Nahutl and would help conquer the Aztecs because Maintzin would tell the

Spanish the Aztec plans. Also, Cortés took with him to Tenochtitlan 500 Spaniards, 200 Cubans

and Africans, and weapons like guns, cannon balls and gun powder. The Aztecs did not have any

weapons like guns so the Spanish had an advantage. Furthermore, the Spanish had animals like

dogs who they trained to be mean and they also had horses. In addition the Spanish also brought

diseases like smallpox and thousands of Aztecs died from them because theirs immune systems

were not used to it. When Cortés arrived at Tenochtitlan, Motecuhzoma and the Aztecs greeted

Cortés as a god. That was advantageous because the Aztecswould bow to the god and do

anything for him. The Spanish also created alliances with tribes who disliked the Aztecs and

helped them take over Tenochtitlan. In final analysis, there were a lot of ways the Spanish were

able to conquer the Aztecs.