The Spanish conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire is a key figure in the study of world history. He landed on the coast of Mexico in 1519 with a relatively small force of soldiers, horses, and weaponry. Through a combination of strategic alliances with indigenous groups resentful of Aztec rule, superior military technology, and the devastating impact of European diseases, he was able to defeat the powerful Aztec Empire and claim Mexico for Spain.
His actions had profound and far-reaching consequences. The conquest initiated the Spanish colonization of the Americas, leading to the exploitation of resources, the introduction of new social structures, and the widespread conversion of indigenous populations to Christianity. The flow of wealth from the Americas to Spain fueled the growth of the Spanish Empire and significantly impacted global trade patterns. The Columbian Exchange, the transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and people between the Old World and the New World, was also dramatically accelerated due to the Spanish conquest.
