resisting, Montezuma did everything he could to please the Spanish, ordering his servants to supply everything that Cortes requested. Montezuma’s weakness to the Spanish angered many of his followers, who began to lose respect for their king. Cortes and his men were amazed by the splendor of the Aztec capital. The Spaniards greed would then lead them to carry out unprovoked attacks on Aztec temples and military leaders. Cortes then had Montezuma instruct his angry people not to retaliate, declaring that the Spanish were too powerful and could not be resisted. However, this angered the Aztecs even more, both at the Spanish and Montezuma. As advanced as the Aztecs were, they were no match for the Spanish forces. The Spanish weapons and training were much more advanced: their cannons, cavalry, crossbows, and iron weapons against the primitive spears and rocks of the Aztecs. Even though the Aztecs often outnumbered the Spanish, they could not overcome the superior weapons of the invaders. As Cortes explains: There was so great a number of them, that the artillery had no need to aim but only to point their guns at the Indian forces.It is known that Montezuma died during the siege of Tenochtitlan, but it is not known exactly how. Some say that a stone slung by one of his own people, while others say that the Spaniards stabbed him to death. Cortes claimed to be present when Montezuma received a fatal blow from a stone: He received a blow on his head from a stone; and the injury was so serious that he died three days later. It took Cortes little more than two years to conquer most of the Aztec empire. Some Aztec leaders fled the capital; others were imprisoned, or killed. Most of the buildings, schools, and homes lay in ruins. The victory provided gold and glory for Spain, while at the same time it increased the Spanish influence in the New World. Towns and missions spread throughout the newly conquered lands. Both the Spanish culture and...
