Hernando Cortes conquered the Aztec Empire in Mexico and like many Colonialists committed large scale Genocide. Cortés secured control over Mexico, inflicting great cruelty on the indigenous population. Western diseases such as smallpox also caused huge fatalities. Cortez also committed deliberate Murder. Cortez committed the first of many acts of barbarism designed to intimidate the Mayans. In Cholua, Cortez demanded 2,000 soldirs from the Cholulans who, thinking this would be their chance, gleefully assembled in the public square. In the shadow of the largest pyramid in the world, the Spaniards opened fire and simply shot most of them. (...) Cortez continued his genocide, [cultural destruction] razing cultural masterpieces and burning manuscripts and with the whip of the Spanish Inquis