How did the Spanish ultimately take control of the Inca and Aztec Empires?
The Spanish ultimately took control of the Inca and Aztec Empires through a combination of military conquest, alliances with indigenous groups, and exploitation of internal conflicts within these empires.
In the case of the Aztec Empire, Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés arrived in 1519 with a small expeditionary force. Initially, Cortés formed alliances with indigenous groups who were hostile towards the Aztecs, such as the Tlaxcalans, and gained their support in his campaign. With their help, he was able to defeat the Aztec forces led by Emperor Moctezuma II. After Moctezuma's death in 1520, the Aztecs revolted against the Spanish, but Cortés eventually besieged their capital, Tenochtitlan, in 1521, causing its fall and the end of the Aztec Empire.
In the case of the Inca Empire, Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro arrived in 1532 with a small expeditionary force. Pizarro capitalized on divisions within the empire caused by a civil war between two brothers, Atahualpa and Huascar, who were fighting for the throne. Pizarro captured Atahualpa in a surprise attack and held him captive, demanding a massive ransom in gold and silver. Despite Atahualpa fulfilling the ransom, the Spanish executed him. Using their ally, Atahualpa's rival, Manco Inca, as a puppet ruler, the Spanish were able to weaken resistance and gradually gain control of the empire, ultimately leading to its collapse.
Both conquests were facilitated by factors such as superior weapons technology, armor, and horses that the Spanish possessed, as well as diseases brought by the Europeans that decimated the native populations. These factors, combined with internal conflicts and divisions within the empires, played crucial roles in the Spanish conquest.