After Hernán Cortés conquered Tenochtitlan in 1521, the Spanish preserved much of the existing social structure but displaced the local nobility and installed themselves at its top.

“Absolutely. When Cortés consummates his conquest of Tenochtitlan in 1521,”

“the last of the Huayatamani surrender to him and how he occupies the territory and most importantly, the top of the social hierarchy,”

“the existing structure as much as possible.”

“was allowed to persist.”

“The conquistadors just decapitate the local nobility and insert themselves at the top.”