The Spanish Invasion of Mexico 1519–1521

It is questionable whether any man besides Cortes could have conquered Mexico. Some argue that if he had not, someone else would have. But as Hugh Thomas notes in his magnificent history of the Conquest, this is totally conjecture and cannot be established. The questions must then be raised: would any European besides Cortes have grasped and exploited the differences between the various Indian people? Given the record of most of his contemporaries, who tended to regard all Indians as beneath contempt, it is highly unlikely, and these political and tribal differences were essential to a Castilian victory.