Two of the biggest and greatest civilization in the Americas were These two civilization were both said to beconquered by the Spanish, but it wasnt just the Spanish whoconquered them. These two civilizations both fell from acombination of a weak government, lack of technology, newdisease introduced by the invaders, and not being prepared for theinvaders. For many centuries the Aztec civilization revolved around aideological, social, and political system in which expansion was thecornerstone. Expansion was the cornerstone of their wholecivilization, because their religion requested that a large number ofhuman sacrifices where to be made to the gods. To get thesacrifices the Aztec went to war with other tribes in Mexico to getthese human sacrifices (Conrad & Demmest 47-49) . With eachconquest more sacrifices and more land was added to the Azteckingdom. The Aztec were a strong civilization who were familiarwith organized large scale war, had specialized war chiefs, and awell organized system of territorial levy in which large armies couldbe amassed in a short time (Age of Reconnaissance 124-125). Theymay have been well organized for war, but they were not preparedfor internal changes in there civilization. When expansion was nolonger an option there system crumbled. Without expansion theycould no longer give human sacrifices in the same amount in whichthey use too. Upon the arrival of the Spanish the Aztecgovernment was falling apart, and "Moctezuma II programs ofinternal military consolidation and administrative and socialstabilization had failed" (Conrad & Demmest). When the Aztecsfirst met the Spanish they were amazed by them. The Spanish usedthe Aztecs own legends to take advantage of them and gain theupper hand. Other disadvantages that the Aztecs had was theneed to take prisoner to sacrifice, they were not untied with othertribes (Spanish were able to unite with other tribes to help fight theAztecs), had primitive weapons, and coul...
