Alliances Forged with the Spaniards in the Conquests for the mainland of the

Mexico and Peru Empires

During the conquest of the Aztec Empire in Mexico, the Spaniards, led by Hernán Cortés,
formed alliances with various indigenous groups that were discontented with Aztec rule.
These alliances played a crucial role in the eventual success of the Spanish conquest.

Tlaxcala:
On April 22, 1519, a fleet of eleven Spanish galleons, which had been sailing northward
along the eastern Gulf Coast of Mexico, dropped anchor just off the wind-swept beach on the
island of San Juan de Ulúa. Under the command of the Spanish-born Captain-General Hernán
Cortés, these vessels bore 450 soldiers, 100 sailors, and 16 horses. The first indigenous
peoples that Cortés met with were the Totonac Indians who inhabited the coastal area near the
city-state of Cempoala. Although this town of 14,000 was subject to the Aztec Empire,
Cacique (Chief) Tlacochcalcatl and his people offered a warm welcome to Cortés, expressing
the hope that the Spaniards may help them to gain independence from their Mexica overlords.
The chief of the Totonacs complained that the Mexica tribute collectors had picked the
country clean and that hundreds of young Totonac children were brought to the altars of
Tenochtitlán for sacrifice. The Cempoalans, impressed by the superior firepower of the
Spaniards and the hope of overthrowing Aztec rule, helped Cortés and his men establish a
base on the shore. On June 28, 1519, Cortés formally gave this town the name La Villa Rica
de la Vera Cruz (The Rich Town of the True Cross). At this point, Cortés decided to lead his
troops westward into the interior of the continent to find and meet with the Mexica monarch,
Moctezuma.
On August 31, at a point ten miles into Tlaxcalan territory, Cortés’ army encountered a hostile
force of at least 30,000 Tlaxcalans. Despite the tremendous size of the army, the Spaniards
managed to fend them off. Unlike other Indians, the Tlaxcalans seemed to have no fear of the
horses and killed two of the animals. That night, the Spaniards, exhausted from their battle,
rested in the open, some twenty miles from the capital city of Tlaxcala. The Tlaxcalan council
then decided on a night attack against the Spaniards and their allies, but they found to their
surprise that Cortés’s troops were ready for them and reversed the ambush.
In the next battle, Cortés claimed that he faced a Tlaxcalan army of well over 100,000
warriors. In this battle, some sixty Spaniards and several horses were wounded by the enemy.
But, on the following day, Cortés led a punitive expedition, burning some ten Tlaxcalan
towns (with a total population of over 3,000). Many Indians were killed in this campaign.
After a third day of battles, the Spaniards had lost 45 men who died in battle, died of wounds
or succumbed to disease.
Watching the Spaniards prove themselves in battle, the Tlaxcalan King Xicotenga was very
impressed and decided to allow Cortés’ army to pass through the confederation. As the
Spaniards entered the Tlaxcalan capital on September 18, they were welcomed into the town
as if they were heroes. For twenty days, Cortés and his army stayed in Tlaxcala. As his men
recovered from their wounds, Cortés forged a relationship with Xicotenga and other
Tlaxcalan leaders. Xicotenga agreed to provide necessary provisions and manpower to the
Spaniards. This change from hostility to alliance was brought on by Cortés’s claims that he
was opposed only to the Aztec empire and that there would be a place for Tlaxcala in a
Spanish-dominated Mexico.
Xicotenga saw in Cortés a powerful ally who could help the Tlaxcalans destroy the Mexica
and undermine the power of the Aztec Empire. The alliance between the Spaniards and
Tlaxcalans is one of the most important events in Mexican history. This alliance of the
Europeans with the Totonac and Tlaxcalan Indians gave birth to a formidable coalition which
would eventually lead to the downfall and destruction of the entire Aztec Empire. The
allegiance of the Tlaxcalans with the Spaniards would become an enduring partnership,
lasting several centuries.
On November 1, 1519, Cortés and his army of European mercenaries and indigenous
warriors left the Tlaxcalan capital. As many as 6,000 Tlaxcalan warriors had been added to
the ranks of Cortés’ force, but most of his Totonac allies had to return to their homes on the
Gulf Coast. While Indian laborers carried the cannon and baggage in the center of the
formation, Tlaxcalan warriors and Spanish horsemen marched along the flanks and with the
rear guard.

Tenochtitlan:
The fall of Tenochtitlan on 13 August 1521 was a decisive moment in the dramatic collapse
of the Aztec empire which had dominated Mesoamerica. Led by Hernán Cortés (1485-1547),
the Spanish conquistadors enjoyed superior weapons and tactics. In addition, the Old World
visitors brought with them terrible new diseases that caused massive loss of life amongst the
indigenous Americans.
The Aztecs (or Mexica) were themselves a conquering people, and this meant that many of
the cities they had subjugated were only too willing to join forces with the Spanish.
Tenochtitlan was the political and religious capital of the Aztec world, and the defenders put
up a prolonged and fierce resistance. Victory for the Spanish and their allies meant the looting
and destruction of this once great city, the largest in the Americas, but it was eventually
rebuilt and became what is today Mexico City.
Located on the western shore of Lake Texcoco, the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan had over
200,000 inhabitants, making it the largest city in the Pre-Columbian Americas. It covered
some 12-14 km² and was connected to the western shore of the lake and surrounding
countryside by three causeways (running north, east, and west,) which included gaps
traversed by removable bridges to allow boats to pass.
The conquistadors were permitted to enter the city peacefully on 8 November, and they
marvelled at the massive temples, flower and water gardens, canals, and street markets
of trade goods that came in from all corners of Mesoamerica. Motecuhzoma and Cortés met
and exchanged gifts. The Aztec ruler may have been wary of these visitors, having heard of
their earlier military victories, but he seemed undecided what to do with them. Diplomacy, in
any case, went out of the window two weeks later, when Cortés took Motecuhzoma hostage
on 14 November. The Spanish wanted treasure, and the Aztec ruler was obliged to swear
himself a subject of the king of Spain, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (r. 1519-1556). There
were other indignities like a crucifix being set up at the top of the sacred Aztec pyramid,
the Templo Mayor.
Cortés now had his own problems, though. He had exceeded his authority in moving in on the
capital and so upset Velázquez back in Cuba who, technically, held the sole right
to conquest in Mexico. Keen to preserve his position, Velázquez sent a force under the
command of Pánfilo de Narváez to Veracruz to apprehend the now-rogue conquistador.
Cortés was obliged to leave Tenochtitlan and meet these rivals for future treasure, and so, in
May 1520, he left Tenochtitlan in the hands of a small Spanish force under the command
of Pedro de Alvarado.
Alvarado and his men proved rather insensitive to Aztec conventions when they unwisely
attempted to interrupt a ceremony of human sacrifice and then massacred members of the
Aztec nobility. The Aztecs rose up and killed a number of the interlopers. Meanwhile, Cortés
defeated Narváez and persuaded his remaining men to join him. They returned to
Tenochtitlan on 24 June where a handful of Spaniards were still holding out.
As Cortés traveled westward through mountain towns and villages, many of the Indians
living along this path told him of their cruel treatment at the hands of the Mexica overlords.
Through these meetings, Cortés began to understand the depth of this hatred and fear. He also
recognized that many of these people would be potential allies in a showdown with the
Mexica.
From the mountain passes overlooking the great Valley of Mexico, the Spaniards and
Tlaxcalans witnessed for the first time the great splendor of Tenochtitlán as it spread out
along the valley floor. Before long, the mountain pass, with the Valley in full view, descended
to lower altitudes, eventually bringing Cortés and his forces to an altitude of 7,400 feet above
sea level on the valley floor. As they made their way through the valley towards Tenochtitlán,
the Spaniards arrived in one town, where the King of Texcoco welcomed them. The
Texcocans provided their alien guests with gifts, food, and assistance. Soon after hearing
about the Christian religion, many Texcocans, including the king, decided to convert to
Catholicism. Before continuing on to the capital, the Spaniards performed several religious
services, baptizing the king and other Texcocan nobles.

The success of the Spanish conquest was, to a large extent, due to their ability to exploit
existing rivalries and grievances among indigenous groups, as well as forming alliances that
weakened the unity of the Aztec Empire. It's important to note that the conquest was a
complex and multifaceted process with various factors contributing to the eventual Spanish
victory.