She would later come to be Cortés's mistress and bear his child. .
Artillery, horses, and armor proved to be another advantage for the Spaniards; making combat with the natives easy. Along with this, Cortés and Pizarro also possessed native allies. Specifically for Cortés the Cempoala and Tlaxcalans, who provided firsthand information on the Aztecs and help to fight alongside Cortés. But furthermore, what would prove to be the largest and best ally for both Spaniards was the smallpox epidemic. Mark A. Burkholder, author of Colonial Latin America, states, "Probably more Indians died in the epidemic than from wounds received in battle" (Burkholder et al. 2012). However, especially in the case on Francisco Pizarro, smallpox killed of majority of a people that were already weak and wounded from a 5 year civil war that preceded his arrival. Both Spaniards shared and differed advantages that had helped them to conquest the indigenous people.
Differing very much between both conquests was the first encounter between the Spaniards and the natives. In present day Mexico, when Cortés and his men arrived, the Aztec leader, Moctezuma II failed to use military forces because he identified the Spaniards arrival as the returning of gods. This was not exactly far from how the Spaniards felt about themselves, whereas they felt that they were inherently superior and that their Christian god would help them to victory. This haughty disposition would only be amplified as the natives would die around them due to smallpox and they would remain healthy, convincing them that they were invincible. The Aztecs exchanged gifts with the Spaniards and Moctezuma welcomed the Spaniards to stay in his father's quarters. The Incas, in present day Peru were less enthused at the arrival of the Spaniards, although they were amazed at the Spaniards and their attire, there is no evidence that the Incas thought that they were gods.
