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How Did The Fall Of Aztec Civilization

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THE FALL OF AZTEC CIVILIZATION
By Jeremy Boles

The main cause of the Fall of the Aztec civilization was the conquistador invasion led by Cortes. Internal conflict within Mexico along with plague and disease carried to the continent by the conquistadors also contributed greatly to the demise of Aztec civilization. The Aztecs were expecting a visit from a deity matching the characteristics of Cortes. This coincidence allowed Cortes and his men to take advantage of the situation by gaining access to the capitol of the Aztec empire, Tenochtitlan. (Dovas) During the conquest of the Aztecs, Cortes allied with many native groups to fight the Aztecs. The rule of the Aztecs was cruel and many group in Mexico saw joining forces with Cortes as …show more content…
Some of the Mexican states conquered by the Aztecs served as vassals to the Aztecs or paid tribute. (Collins) The Aztecs treated these conquered states harshly by enslaving the population, practicing cannibalism and taking captives to use as sacrifices during rituals. Cortes offered an end to the oppression and a chance for revenge. Cortes allied with the natives who resented the Aztecs and their exploitation of the Mexican people. If the Aztec empire was less cruel to the populations they conquered, the invasion by Cortes would have had a greater chance of failing. The tributary states rebelled against the tyrannical rule of the Aztec empire because the Spanish granted them a chance to destroy their oppressors. (Collins) Cortes was seen as a deity by these tributary states and so joining him was an easy choice. The Aztecs rose to power using brutal tactics and an oppressive stance against the states and tribes they conquered. The Aztecs cruelty caused the empire to become frail by disunity. When Cortes arrived, he was thought to be the deity named Quetzalcoatl. This misunderstanding allowed Cortes the element of surprise and helped to rally natives against the Aztecs empire. Soldiers in Cortes’s army carried the smallpox virus to the continent for the first time. The population of the Aztec empire quickly declined as the virus spread. These factors accumulated and caused the Aztec civilization to

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