CLEP US History I Exam Prep

Answer: D - Knowledge of the land did not assist Cortéz in defeating of the Aztecs. As a Spanish conquistador, Cortéz had spent his limited time in the area pushing inland toward the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán. The fact that he had horses gave him a great advantage in fighting the Aztec foot soldiers, as did the fact that smallpox traveled faster than his army, decimating the Aztec population before his arrival. The Aztecs were so feared that Cortéz was able to make alliances with other tribes in the region, and the fact that Aztec wars were about taking prisoners rather than driving armies away left the Aztecs unprepared for European battle tactics.