When people think of European explorers taking control of the New World, they usually think of Native American tribes being assimilated into their society. However, Spain was far more powerful than that, and they demonstrated this by destroying two separate empires.
The first of these was the Aztec, lead by Montezuma II. In 1520, spanish conquistadors led by Hernán Cortés arrived in Mexico, and made their way into the heart of the land: The Aztec city of Tenochtitlan. Along the way, they encountered the Tlaxcalteca, enemies of the Aztecs. Impressed by the spanish tools, weapons, and armor, the Tlaxcalteca allied with the explorers to bring down the Aztec empire. When they finally arrived at the city, Montezuma greeted them with gifts to appease them, and offered lodging as well. Cortés realized that even with the help of the Tlaxcalteca, they were severely outnumbered. In a surprise attack, they captured and killed Montezuma. The Aztecs began to fight off the spaniards, and after suffering heavy losses, Cortés and the survivors retreated. He would return the
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In 1532, Francisco Pizarro traveled to what is now Peru to claim that land for Spain. However he knew he’d be met with resistance by the locals of the region, who were the Incas. However, their society was in shambles. Diseases carried by Cortés and his men spread throughout the continent, eventually reaching Peru. This killed off a large portion of the Inca population. On top of that, a power struggle between two brothers ignited a civil war resulting in a reformation of their government. Despite fighting a weakened society, Pizarro still felt the need to add insult to injury. When he and his men arrived, they claimed to come in peace. However, they soon took the Inca leader, Atahualpa hostage. They demanded a ransom paid in gold, but once they received that, they killed the leader anyway. With the Inca now powerless, Pizarro claimed the land for