Hernán Cortés is the prominent Spanish conquistador known for the fall of the Inca Empire. In the early 16th century, he led an expedition that resulted in the conquest of present-day Mexico. Cortés capitalized on existing rivalries among indigenous groups, notably allying with the Tlaxcalans against the Mexica (Aztec) Empire. His brutal tactics, superior weaponry, and the spread of European diseases devastated the indigenous population. The capture of the Aztec leader Moctezuma II and the fall of Tenochtitlán in 1521 marked the deepening Spanish control over the region and the establishment of Spanish colonial rule, forever altering the cultural landscape of Latin America.