cs , "little after his arrival after his arrival, he discovered that resentment and rebellion were very present among the tribes that were subjugated to the domination of Moctezuma, and immediately formed military alliances that made possible his astonishing victories. And an unbreakable will, that did not stop before murders or mass killings, he accomplished everything else". (Burning Water). After months of fighting Cortes ordered a full-scale assault of the city. At the same time in the Aztec capital, a smallpox epidemic began that killed or immobilized much of the population. The captain-general appealed to the emperor (who was Cuahtemoc by this time) to surrender. Everywhere he went with his army they left a trail of destruction - burned or pulled-down homes and temples - regardless of whether or not there were wounded men, women, or children inside. But the Aztec king refused to leave the city in the hands of the Spaniards. He asked to be killed, and Cortes pardoned him. This lack of understanding for each other's culture is one sign that there would have been no way for the two empires to have an equal existence. The Spaniards' disgust with the "barbaric" rites of the Aztecs gave them an excuse to force the Aztecs (and later the rest of the Mexicans) down into the lowest echelons of the new Hispanic society. But it should be considered that while human sacrifice is surely barbaric, enslaving peoples is hardly a sign of being civilized. He had the advantage of his fanatic catholic missionary zeal that served him as a justification to exploit the Mexicans, supported mainly the Aztec customs of performing human sacrifices and practicing cannibalism. These customs offend the sensibilities of the 20-th century but have different impact when they were committed in Europe at the time when Cortes invaded Mexico. The conquerors banished the Aztecs from their city and began to clear it. Around half million people were killed. The Aztec ho...
