Answer:
1. Cortes marched up the coast of Mexico and conquered Veracruz
2. Cortes established alliances with enemies of the Aztecs
3. Moctezuma II welcomed the Spanish
4. Cortes and his men brought smallpox to Tenochtitlan
Explanation:
Cortes first arrived in the south of Mexico and had a brief encounter with the Maya. From there he continued up the coast until he reached Veracruz where he founded the first Spanish settlement. It was here that Cortes learned of the powerful Aztecs and about the many enemies they had among the prehispanic groups that had been conquered by them. Cortes had very few men with him so he knew he could not defeat the powerful Aztec empire alone. He decides to make alliances with the Tlaxcaltecans and begins his march towards Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital. When the Spanish finally arrive, Moctezuma welcomes them (though it's not true that he thought Cortes was the reincarnation of Quetzalcoatl, that is an incorrect interpretation). Meanwhile a new fleet of Spanish ships arrived in Veracruz and made their way to Tenochtitlan. One of the men in this group was sick and began the massive smallpox epidemic that wiped out around half of the indigenous population.
