What factors led to the fall of the Aztec Empire?

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Aztec manuscript illustration showing figures in elaborate costumes dancing in a circle, with two larger deities, Quetzalcoatl and Xolotl, at the center, from Codex Borbonicus. — Aztec Aztec round dance for Quetzalcóatl and Xolotl (a dog-headed god who is Quetzalcóatl's companion), detail from a facsimile Codex Borbonicus (folio 26), c. 1520; original in the Chamber of Deputies, Paris, France.

The fall of the Aztec Empire was a complex event influenced by several factors. Spanish conquistadors, led by Hernán Cortés, exploited existing political tensions within the Aztec empire, forming alliances with disgruntled subject tribes like the Totonacs and Tlaxcalans. The Spanish possessed superior weaponry, and a devastating smallpox outbreak, to which the Aztecs had no immunity, significantly weakened their population and ability to resist. While some historical accounts suggest initial Aztec beliefs about Cortés being a returning god, this is debated by modern scholars. Ultimately, a combination of these factors, including disease, alliances, and technological advantages, led to the Spanish conquest of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlán, and the subsequent collapse of the empire.123