The Fall of the Aztec Empire started when the Spanish Conquistadors arrived in Mexico. A quick background on the arrival shows that:
In 1519, the Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés landed on the east coast of Mexico. After several skirmishes and setbacks, …show more content…
Many battles and a lot of fighting took place throughout the time between the Spaniard’s arrival and the final fall. Other incidents also led to the fall of the Aztec Empire. Disease had a big impact: “In September 1520, small pox killed thousands of Aztecs. The Spaniards had unknowingly brought the germs that caused the disease with them” (Roxburgh 41). This disease killed off a majority of the Aztecs and made fighting reasonably easier for the Spanish. The Spanish also got more tactful as the fighting went on and they used their smarts to help along the quest: “On May 30, 1521, the Spaniards launched the ships on Lake Texcoco. They prevented the Aztecs from transporting supplies” (Roxburgh 42). This was very clever because the Aztecs were weakened with the loss of supplies and money. This led to the final fall of the Aztec Empire: “…By August 13, 1521, Tenochtitlán had fallen to the Spaniards” (Roxburgh 43). The Spaniards also gained a favorable amount of power with this accomplishment: “The Aztec empire had collapsed. Cortés continued the conquest, and a year later, in 1522, he became governor and captain-general of New Spain” (Gruzinski 89). With these incidents, the Spanish gained a lot more power for their country and over-threw the great Aztec