He planned to give the visitors all of his treasures and hope that they will spare his empire. This ultimately feed the hunger of the conquistadors for gold and instead of satisfying the Aztec god, it drove the Spaniards to push farther in search for the "city of gold". In hope to lure the Spanish conquistadors to Tenochtitlan, Montezuma wanted to capture the invaders and hold them as prisoners. This plan backfired when a revolt by the Aztec people caused the death of Montezuma and ultimately the destruction of the Aztec civilization. Had Montezuma attacked the Spaniards before they reached Tenochtitlan, he almost certainly would have prevailed and the Spaniards would not see the city for a time afterwards? (Burland and Forman, The Aztecs Gods and Fate in Ancient Mexico 1985).
Cortez used military techniques and superior technology to overcome the Aztec edge, in numbers, on the battlefield. Along with 600 soldiers, Cortez brought along 10 large bronze cannons, 4 falconets, 16 horses, 32 crossbowmen, and 13 musketeers. Most of the men had armor to protect themselves from the wooden spears of the Aztec. The armor and Calvary scared the Aztecs during a charge, which allowed small numbers of men to wipe out several Aztecs in one rush. The soldiers also carried swords that proved to be deadly against the Aztecs that had no armor to protect themselves. Along with the 600 Spanish conquistadors, Cortez allied himself with ten thousand native enemies of the Aztecs. They had been conquered by the Aztecs and forced to pay taxes to the empire. Cortez used his allies to surround Tenochtitlan and to force a seize. With the construction of ships with crossbowmen mounted artillery in the Texcoco Lake, Cortez crushed the thousands of small canoes with one decisive battle and controlled the water surrounding the city. Cortez now used Tenochtitlan's best defense against the city. Controlling the waters around the city, Spanish troops stopped all food from entering the city.
