Why did many Indigenous peoples resent Aztec rule?

Many Indigenous peoples resented Aztec rule primarily due to the heavy burdens imposed by the empire's expansionist policies. The Aztecs demanded regular tributes from the 400 to 500 states they had subjugated, which often included agricultural products, labor, and military service.123

A significant source of resentment was the Aztec practice of human sacrifice. The Aztecs believed that their gods required nourishment in the form of human blood to ensure the world's survival, leading them to ritually kill prisoners captured from across the region. This religious obligation was closely tied to their warfare, which functioned as a means to secure victims for these sacrifices.1456

Because of these oppressive demands, many subject tribes viewed the arrival of Hernán Cortés and the Spanish as an opportunity to liberate themselves from Aztec control. This deep-seated dissatisfaction allowed Cortés to forge critical alliances with disgruntled groups, such as the Tlaxcalans and the Totonac, whose military support proved essential to the eventual fall of Tenochtitlán.27