Hernán Cortés Conquers the Aztecs (1519-1521)
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In 1519, Hernán Cortés, a Spanish conquistador, arrived on the Mexican coast with a small army. He quickly allied with native groups, such as the Tlaxcalans, who opposed Aztec rule. With superior weapons, horses, and diseases like smallpox, Cortés laid siege to Tenochtitlán and defeated the Aztecs in 1521, marking the beginning of Spanish rule.