The Aztec Empire was a powerful state in central Mexico, with its capital at the great city of Tenochtitlán.

In 1519, a small Spanish expedition led by the conquistador Hernán Cortés landed on the coast of Mexico.

Cortés formed crucial alliances with local peoples who were subjects of the Aztec Empire and resented their rule.

The Spanish had significant technological advantages, including steel weapons, armor, cannons, and horses, which were unknown in the Americas.

European diseases, particularly smallpox, to which the Aztecs had no immunity, devastated the native population and were a major factor in their defeat.

The Aztec emperor, Moctezuma II, initially welcomed the Spanish into Tenochtitlán, but was later taken hostage by them.

After being driven out of the city during an event known as 'La Noche Triste' (The Sad Night), the Spanish and their allies regrouped.

The Spanish returned to lay siege to Tenochtitlán, cutting off its supplies.

The city finally fell to the Spanish in 1521 after a brutal siege.

The conquest led to the destruction of the Aztec Empire and the establishment of the Spanish colony of New Spain.