Who conquered the Aztecs and brought about the end of the empire?

Invaders led by the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés

Hernán Cortés

Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés (c. 1485-1547) is best known for conquering the Aztecs and claiming Mexico on behalf of Spain. Cortés (full name Don Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca) first served as a soldier in an expedition of Cuba led by Diego Velázquez in 1511.

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Hernán Cortés - Biography, Facts & Accomplishments - HISTORY

overthrew the Aztec Empire by force and captured Tenochtitlan

Tenochtitlan

Tenochtitlan was one of two Mexica āltepētl (city-states or polities) on the island, the other being Tlatelolco. The city is located in modern-day Mexico City.

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Tenochtitlan - Wikipedia

in 1521, bringing an end to Mesoamerica's last great native civilization.

Who conquered the Aztec empires?

Between 1519 and 1521 Hernán Cortés and a small band of men brought down the Aztec empire in Mexico, and between 1532 and 1533 Francisco Pizarro and his followers toppled the Inca empire in Peru. These conquests laid the foundations for colonial regimes that would transform the Americas.

What caused the end of the Aztec Empire *?

Smallpox spread among the indigenous people and crippled their ability to resist the Spanish. The disease devastated the Aztec people, greatly reducing their population and killing an estimated half of Tenochtitlán's inhabitants. One of those who died was the Aztec emperor Cuitláhuac.

Which Conquistador was responsible for ending the Aztec Empire?

Hernán Cortés was a Spanish conquistador, or conqueror, best remembered for conquering the Aztec empire in 1521 and claiming Mexico for Spain. He also helped colonize Cuba and became a governor of New Spain.

Did Cortes conquered the Aztec?

Tenochtitlán, the capital city of the Aztec Empire, flourished between A.D. 1325 and 1521—but was defeated less than two years after the arrival of Spanish invaders led by Cortés.

The Aztecs: The End of the Aztec Empire

Who conquered the Mayans Aztecs and Incas?

The Spanish conquered the Aztec, Incan and Mayan Empires in the first half of the 16th century, bringing all of the major civilizations of the...

When did the Spanish conquer Tenochtitlán?

The Fall of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire, was a decisive event in the Spanish conquest of the empire. It occurred in 1521 following extensive manipulation of local factions and exploitation of pre-existing political divisions by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés.

What ultimately caused the end of the great Inca empire?

While there were many reasons for the fall of the Incan Empire, including foreign epidemics and advanced weaponry, the Spaniards skilled manipulation of power played a key role in this great Empire's demise.

When was the Aztec Empire brought down?

In May 1521, Cortés returned to Tenochtitlán, and after a three-month siege the city fell. This victory marked the fall of the Aztec empire. Cuauhtémoc, Cuitláhuac's successor as emperor, was taken prisoner and later executed, and Cortés became the ruler of a vast Mexican empire.

Who conquered the Inca Empire?

On November 16, 1532, Francisco Pizarro, the Spanish explorer and conquistador, springs a trap on the Incan emperor, Atahualpa.

Who did the Conquistadors conquer?

conquistador, (Spanish: “conqueror”) plural conquistadores or conquistadors, any of the leaders in the Spanish conquest of America, especially of Mexico and Peru, in the 16th century.

How did the Aztecs get conquered?

Cortés's army besieged Tenochtitlán for 93 days, and a combination of superior weaponry and a devastating smallpox outbreak enabled the Spanish to conquer the city. Cortés's victory destroyed the Aztec empire, and the Spanish began to consolidate control over what became the colony of New Spain.

When did the Aztecs start and end?

Definition. The Aztec Empire (c. 1345-1521) covered at its greatest extent most of northern Mesoamerica. Aztec warriors were able to dominate their neighbouring states and permit rulers such as Montezuma to impose Aztec ideals and religion across Mexico.

What happened after the Spanish conquered the Aztecs?

Following victory, a Triple Alliance was formed between Texcoco, Tenochtitlan, and a rebel Tepanec city, Tlacopan. A campaign of territorial expansion began, where the spoils of war - usually in the form of tributes from the conquered - were shared between these three great cities.

What happened to the Incas and Aztecs?

Both the Aztec and the Inca empires were conquered by Spanish conquistadors; the Aztec Empire was conquered by Cortés, and the Inca Empire was defeated by Pizarro. The Spanish had an advantage over native peoples because the former had guns, cannons, and horses.

Why did the Spanish conquered the Incas?

The Spanish recognized the wealth and abundance that could be had in this territory; at this point the Inca Empire was at its largest, measuring around 690,000 square miles. In 1528 Pizarro went back to Spain to ask for the official blessing of the Spanish crown to the conquer the area and become governor.

Which brother won control over the Inca Empire?

Emperor Atahualpa, the victorious brother, has a short reign as emperor. It began in 1529, and lasted until 1532. Huáscar initiated the war; appointed as king and claiming the throne because he was pure Inca, he wanted to defeat Atahualpa's competition.

What did Hernán Cortés do?

Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés (c. 1485-1547) is best known for conquering the Aztecs and claiming Mexico on behalf of Spain. Cortés (full name Don Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca) first served as a soldier in an expedition of Cuba led by Diego Velázquez in 1511.

Who killed the Mayans and Aztecs?

In addition to North America's Native American populations, the Mayan and Incan civilizations were also nearly wiped out by smallpox. And other European diseases, such as measles and mumps, also took substantial tolls – altogether reducing some indigenous populations in the new world by 90 percent or more.

Who conquered the Mayan empire?

The Spanish conquest of the Maya was a protracted conflict during the Spanish colonisation of the Americas, in which the Spanish conquistadores and their allies gradually incorporated the territory of the Late Postclassic Maya states and polities into the colonial Viceroyalty of New Spain.

Who destroyed the Mayan empire?

An enormous drought that swept across Mexico around 1,000 years ago triggered the demise of one of the world's greatest ancient civilisations. Scientists studying the climate at the time of the ancient Maya found that rainfall fell by up to 70 per cent at the time the region's city states were abandoned.

Who came first the Aztecs or the Mayans?

In short, the Maya came first, and settled in modern-day Mexico. Next, came the Olmecs, who also settled Mexico. They didn't build any major cities, but they were widespread and prosperous. They were followed by the Inca in modern-day Peru, and finally the Aztecs, also in modern-day Mexico.

Are Aztecs and Mayans the same?

The main difference between Aztec and Mayan is that Aztec civilization was in central Mexico from 14th to 16th century and expanded throughout Mesoamerica, while the Mayan empire branched all over a vast territory in northern Central America and southern Mexico from 2600 BC.

Are the Aztecs still alive?

Today the descendants of the Aztecs are referred to as the Nahua. More than one-and-a-half million Nahua live in small communities dotted across large areas of rural Mexico, earning a living as farmers and sometimes selling craft work.

Why were the Spanish able to conquer the Aztecs and Incas?

The Spanish were able to defeat the Aztec and the Inca not only because they had horses, dogs, guns, and swords, but also because they brought with them germs that made many native Americans sick. Diseases like smallpox and measles were unknown among the natives; therefore, they had no immunity to them.