The correct answer to this open question is the following.
European exploration affected in the Americas affected the Aztecs and Spanish in the following ways.
Spanish explorer Cristopher Columbus discovered the Americas on October 12, 1492. Later, and under the patronage of King of Spain Ferdinand de Aragon and Queen Isabel del Castillo, exploration continued until Hernando Cortez arrived at Veracruz, Mexico, to initiate the conquest of the territories and the great Aztec Empire. With the help of a Nahua translator called "La Malinche" or "Malintzi," Cortez could establish relationships with tribes that were enemies of the Aztec Empire such as the Tlaxcanteans or the Cholulans, that joined the Spanish Army in the battles against the Aztecs.
Spanish realized that in this region, raw materials and natural resources abounded. Furthermore, there was plenty of Gold, and Cortez wanted that Gold for the Spanish crown. After the conquest, the Spanish sent many raw materials and gold bars to Spain.
The Aztecs were defeated mostly by two things. The first one, they open all the doors to the Spanish because Montezuma Emperor thought that the Spanish were the forerunners of the God Quetzalcoatl. He saw them as divinity and welcomed them with open arms. Big mistake. Secondly, the Spanish had many new diseases unknown to the Native Americans such as smallpox, influenza, and many others. Thousands of Native American Indians died due to lack of immunity to those diseases.
