Following an earlier expedition led by Juan de Grijalva to Yucatán in 1517 , Spanish settler , Hernán Cortés , led an expedition ( `` entrada '' ) to Mexico .

Two years later , in 1519 , Cortés and his retinue set Self_motion sail from Cuba for Mexico .

The Spanish campaign against the Aztec Empire had its final victory on 13 August 1521 , when a coalition army of Spanish forces and native Tlaxcalan warriors led by Cortés and Xicotencatl the Younger captured Conquering the emperor Cuauhtemoc and Tenochtitlan , the capital of the Aztec Empire .

Cortés made Causation alliances with tributaries city-states ( `` altepetl '' ) of the Aztec Empire as well as their political rivals , particularly the Tlaxcalteca and Texcocans , a former partner in the Aztec Triple Alliance .

After eight months of battles and negotiations Communication , which overcame Resolve_problem the diplomatic resistance of the Aztec Emperor Moctezuma II to his visit , Cortés arrived in Arriving Tenochtitlan on 8 November 1519 , where he took up Conquering residence with fellow Spaniards and their indigenous allies .

When news reached Arriving Cortés of the death of several of his men during the Aztec attack on the Totonacs in Veracruz , Cortes claims that he took Motecuhzoma captive .

When Cortés left Tenochtitlan to return Arriving to the coast and deal Communication with the expedition of Pánfilo de Narváez , sent Sending to rein in Cortés 's expedition that had exceeded Cause_change_of_position_on_a_scale its specified limits , Cortés 's right-hand man Pedro de Alvarado was left Departing in charge .

When Cortés left Tenochtitlan to return Arriving to the coast and deal Communication with the expedition of Pánfilo de Narváez , sent Sending to rein in Cortés 's expedition that had exceeded Cause_change_of_position_on_a_scale its specified limits , Cortés 's right-hand man Pedro de Alvarado was left Departing in charge .

When Cortés left Tenochtitlan to return Arriving to the coast and deal Communication with the expedition of Pánfilo de Narváez , sent Sending to rein in Cortés 's expedition that had exceeded Cause_change_of_position_on_a_scale its specified limits , Cortés 's right-hand man Pedro de Alvarado was left Departing in charge .

The official biography of Cortés by Francisco López de Gómara contains Containing a description of the massacre .

Cortés had returned Arriving to Tenochtitlan and his men fled Escaping the capital city during the Noche Triste in June 1520 .

Many of those on the Cortés expedition of 1519 had never seen Perception_active combat Hostile_encounter before , including Cortés .

Many of those on the Cortés expedition of 1519 had never seen Perception_active combat Hostile_encounter before , including Cortés .

Petén was first penetrated Attack by Hernán Cortés with a sizeable expedition that crossed Motion_directional the territory from north to south in 1525 .