The Spaniards then murdered thousands of Aztec nobles during a ritual dance ceremony, and Montezuma died under uncertain circumstances while in custody. Though the Aztecs had superior numbers, their weapons were inferior, and Cortes was able to immediately take Montezuma and his entourage of lords hostage, gaining control of Tenochtitlan. In November 1519, Cortes and his men arrived in Tenochtitlan, where Montezuma and his people greeted them as honored guests according to Aztec custom (partially due to CortesРІР‚в„ў physical resemblance to the light-skinned Quetzalcoatl, whose return was prophesied in Aztec legend). Thanks to instability within the Aztec empire, Cortes was able to form alliances with other native peoples, notably the Tlascalans, who were then at war with Montezuma. Cortes and some 400 soldiers then marched into Mexico, aided by a native woman known as Malinche, who served as a translator. In March 1519, Cortes landed at the town of Tabasco, where he learned from the natives of the great Aztec civilization, then ruled by Moctezuma (or Montezuma) II.Р”Вefying the authority of Velasquez, Cortes founded the city of Veracruz on the southeastern Mexican coast, where he trained his army into a disciplined fighting force. Cordobars reports on his return to Cuba prompted the Spanish governor there, Diego Velasquez, to send a larger force back to Mexico under the command of HernР“РЋn CortР“В©s. The first European to visit Mexican territory was Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba, who arrived in Yucatan from Cuba with three ships and about 100 men in early 1517.

READ MORE: Human Sacrifice: Why the Aztecs Practiced This Gory Ritual European Invasion & Fall of the Aztec Civilization The Aztec calendar, common in much of Mesoamerica, was based on a solar cycle of 365 days and a ritual cycle of 260 days the calendar played a central role in the religion and rituals of Aztec society. The Great Temple, or Templo Mayor, in the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan was dedicated to Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc, the rain god. In the great cities of the Aztec empire, magnificent temples, palaces, plazas and statues embodied the civilizationРІР‚в„ўs unfailing devotion to the many Aztec gods, including Huitzilopochtli (god of war and of the sun) and Quetzalcoatl (РІР‚СљFeathered SerpentРІР‚Сњ), a Toltec god who served many important roles in the Aztec faith over the years. The Aztec faith shared many aspects with other Mesoamerican religions, like that of the Maya, notably including the rite of human sacrifice.

Aztec maya indian font