Excerpts from Books and Wikipedia
"The Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes first met Aztec ruler Moctezuma at Tenochtitlan on November 8, 1519. . . . Cortes landed on the Mexican coast with a force of 500 soldiers and scuttled his ships to keep any of his followers from sailing away. . . . Marching toward the Aztec capital, the intruders found a welcome among the Aztec peoples. . . . According to the Spanish account, Cortes told Moctezuma that he came in the name of the One True God and served a powerful king who ruled much of the world, and Moctezuma told Cotes that he was ready to be this king's vassal. However, Moctezuma was given little choice in the matter. His welcoming treatment of the Spaniard would soon lead to his death and the destruction of his empire." [1001 Days]