What were the key reasons for the Spanish Conquistadors to invade the Aztec Empire? The Spanish empire was constantly expanding, but the Monarchy of Spain, with their administrators and missionaries, wanted to seize control over majority of the western hemisphere, by taking control of “The New World” – in modern times this is now known as America – this would enable the Spanish Empire to expand their trade market, as wells as, to convert the natives beliefs to Christianity. This plan to seize control of the new world was initiated by the Spanish Conquistadors, who travelled to “The New World” on large ships, whom which the Aztecs thought them to be “moving mountains”.
The leader of this conquest for control of “The New World” was Hernan Cortes. Hernan Cortes de Monroy Pizarro, born in the year of 1485 in Medellin, Castile, he was a Spanish Conquistador and captain of the third expedition to “The New World” which was also the fall of the Aztec Empire, and brought many large portions of land in Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century. His enmity with the Governor of Cuba, Diego Velazquez de Cuellar, resulted in the recall of his expedition, which was a last minute decision, this was an order that Cortes
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Cortes quickly learned that several Spaniards had been murdered by Aztec warriors just off the coast of Mexico, at this point in time, he decided to kidnap Moctezuma the Second and to hold him as a hostage in his own palace, indirectly ruling Tenochtitlan. Meanwhile, Velasquez sent another expedition, led by Panfilo de Narvaez to confront Cortes, which would arrive off the coast of Mexico in April 1520 with over one thousand men. Cortes left approximately two hundred men in Tenochtitlan, whilst he and his army travelled across Mexico to confront