Hernán Cortés and allies conquered the Aztec Empire by 1521, capturing Tenochtitlan amid disease and alliances with subjugated peoples. This led to Spanish dominance in Mexico and massive cultural, demographic, and religious changes in the Americas.

The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire in 1521 generated a wealth of chronicles and indigenous poetry that lamented the fall of a civilization. This historical event influenced the development of Latin American literary syncretism, as seen in the works of poets like Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz.