How Spain Conquered Mexico and Peru

Mexico (1519–1521)

Hernán Cortés (600 men, 16 horses) allied with Aztec-subject peoples (Tlaxcalans), exploited internal divisions, captured Tenochtitlan after siege.

Peru (1532–1533)

Francisco Pizarro (~180 men) exploited Inca civil war, captured Emperor Atahualpa at Cajamarca, ransomed then executed him, took Cusco.

Why Spain Succeeded

• Military Tech: Steel, guns, horses vs. stone/wood.
• Disease: Smallpox, measles decimated native populations (up to 90% mortality).
• Political Fragmentation: Both empires faced internal revolts; Spaniards allied with dissidents.
• Ideological/Cultural Shock: Native cosmologies unprepared for European warfare/intent.

Conquest established 300-year colonial rule, imposing language, religion, and extractive economies.