[beaconstudios]

I think La Noche Triste speaks to the superiority of infantry with melee weapons to cavalry with muskets in close quarters urban fighting. Tenochtitlan was an absolute maze, and the Aztec defenders knew it well because it was their home.

I do agree that the alliance with Tlaxcala is underplayed in the pop culture understanding of the conquest.

[YeGoblynQueenne]

I don't remember this very well and my copy of Bernal Diaz's memoir is half a continent away, but I think that most of Cortes men were not "cavalry" as such. Some had horses but most were on foot. Also, I seem to remember the Aztecs that attacked them in Tenochtitlan were basically a mob at that point, armed with makeshift weapons. It goes without saying that they had the advantage of knowing their own city better than the enemy, but the general point is that they didn't fear the guns and horses of the Spaniards as much as is commonly believed.

[beaconstudios]

Yeah that's fair, and I can believe its a lot less likely to damage morale if you have the Spaniards on the run, on home turf.