Question

In 1519 the Spanish Conquistador ___ made the first European contact with the Aztecs, who ruled a vast empire in what is now Mexico.

Answer 1

Hernán Cortés, a Spanish conquistador, made contact with the Aztec Empire in 1519 and eventually conquered Tenochtitlán by 1521, helped by alliances and the impact of European diseases.

Step-by-step explanation:

In 1519, the Spanish Conquistador Hernán Cortés made the first European contact with the Aztecs, who at the time had built a powerful empire in what is now central Mexico. Cortés, in pursuit of fame and fortune, led an expedition that resulted in him entering Tenochtitlán, the Aztec capital.

His encounter with the Aztecs was marked by a combination of diplomacy, brutal conquest, and the spread of diseases such as smallpox, which devastated the local population and helped Cortés and his allies overcome the Aztec forces.

The conquest of the Aztec Empire culminated in 1521, when Cortés captured Tenochtitlán after facing resistance and forging alliances with other indigenous groups, notably the Tlaxcalans, who were rivals of the Aztecs.