Conquest of Mexico

The Conquest of Mexico refers to the Spanish takeover of the Aztec Empire, led by Hernán Cortés in the early 16th century. In 1519, Cortés arrived in Mexico, initially befriending some Indigenous groups discontented with Aztec rule. He eventually marched to the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlán, where he captured Emperor Moctezuma II. The conquest was marked by alliances, military tactics, and the spread of diseases that devastated the Indigenous population. By 1521, the fall of Tenochtitlán marked the end of the Aztec Empire and the beginning of Spanish colonial rule in Mexico, profoundly reshaping the region's history.