The first of the Aztecs entered the Valley of Mexico, which held many advanced civilizations. Those civilizations had productive farms and giant stone cities (Marks 119). The Aztecs first settled on the shores of lake Texcoco. They became mercenaries, which directed them towards forming a great and skillful army (Stein 27). They permanently settled on an island that they built their capital city on; Tenochtitlan, "Place of the Prickly Pear Cactus," became the start of a powerful empire (Faber 116).

After defeating neighboring tribes, the Aztecs developed agriculture, engineering, and government. Enormous growth from their victories led to detailed transportation systems and more than forty temples and pyramids in the capital (Stein 27). The pyramids and

Hernando Cortes, the man who was to bring down the empire, was born in Medellin, Spain in 1485 to Martin Cortes de Monroy, and Dona Catalina Pizarro Altamirano. He attended the University of Salamanca to study law, but showed little interest in books (Faber 118). He was a very curious and idle young boy, and sailed to the New World in 1504. He was part of the conquest of Cuba. His conquests were driven by his desire for gold and wealth. Deeply in debt for his luxurious clothing and ships, he set sail from Cuba on February 10, 1519, to Mexico (Faber 119).

The Spanish had brought over the fatal disease, small pox. This fought like another army against the Aztecs. It killed thousands of people and the disease continued to spread throughout the empire. The Aztecs had no form of defense to stop or cure this foreign disease.

The Aztecs had no outside help. The angry neighboring tribes refused to help them when they were fighting because of poor treatment (Shepherd 51). They found it as a good chance for payback after the Aztecs captured them for labor and sacrifice.

Cortes renamed the capital Mexico City and proclaimed himself governor. In order to keep the remaining Aztecs under control, he used the encomienda system and were all converted to Christianity (Dineen 58). Cortes built a Catholic cathedral over the remains of an Aztec temple, and packed their lake with earth (Hakim 95). He sent great sums of the Mexican riches back to Spain.

The conquest of the Aztecs proved to be an amazing feat of the Spanish. It moved Spain a giant step towards complete control of the New World. Culture and land became dominated by Spain. The Spaniards' victory over the Aztecs left a new standard of total destruction for future conquistadors and explorers seeking fame and fortune.

Cortes started inward towards the capital city, Tenochtitlan. He met an Indian woman named Marina Dona who had learned Spanish and became a Christian. She became a translator who played a giant role in their conquest. As Cortes marched towards the capitol, Moctezuma sent messengers who gave them more gifts. They also told Cortes "Do not come to Tenochtitlan. Turn back. We will give you gold. Turn back." Cortes continued further (Hakim 92). He heard

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