1 of 7 
The Encounter
he indigenous societies that the Spanish explorers encountered in the early 16th century were complex and sophisticated. The Aztecs and Incas had built great cities and produced glorious works of art. Like the Spaniards, the Aztecs and Incas had consolidated their empires through conquest and political alliances.The collision between European and Indian cultures that resulted from the Spanish Conquest irreversibly changed the course of civilization in the Americas.