The Europeans didn’t have the man power to defeat the Aztec Empire that fast but as an empire, the Aztecs made enemies and all these enemies united with the Europeans to defeat their common enemy, not knowing what would come next. Similar stories in north America with some first nations allying with the Europeans against their old enemies.
Imagine the Europeans met a significantly further developed native civilisation … Like steam engine level. That would have been interesting.
The Europeans didn’t have the man power to defeat the Aztec Empire that fast but as an empire, the Aztecs made enemies and all these enemies united with the Europeans to defeat their common enemy, not knowing what would come next. Similar stories in north America with some first nations allying with the Europeans against their old enemies.
Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson. Minus the Europeans, mind.