The first Americans
What happened to the Maya, Aztec, and Inca?
These groups of people were all successful until taken down by different factors. The Mayan people were a strong group until they surrendered to the Spanish in 1679. It is still not exactly known how their empire declined, but historians hypothesize it was from a mixture of famine, drought, disease, and overpopulation. The Aztecs were taken over by the Spanish leader named Hernando Cortes. From his physical appearances, they believed he was a god, so he was allowed unordinary privileges. He then proceeded to capture their ruler and steal their gold. The Incas were taken over by the Spanish conquistadors and their leader named Fransisco Pizarro between 1532 and 1572. However, most of their population was taken out by the deadly disease, smallpox. This eventually killed 90% of their people, which helped the Spanish defeat them.