The text wrongly claims that the Spanish defeated the Aztecs because of their iron weapons. Actually, the Spanish were vastly outnumbered, so their weapons alone were irrelevant in the battle. The Spanish had alliances with Indigenous peoples who opposed the Aztec Empire, giving them a much larger army. That defeated the Aztecs.
Small Spanish forces could defeat much larger Aztec forces, particularly in open terrain where cavalry, steel weapons, and armor were effective. Alliances played a role, but better weaponry and warfare isn't just an anecdote. Spanish military strength helped make those alliances attractive.
Also notable is how much Spain's military strength was built up during the
Reconquista, where Spain's militaries expelled the Arab occupation of the Iberian Peninsula over hundreds of years. (The Arabs themselves having been incredibly successful conquerors since the 7th century.) Columbus sailed to the new world under the Spanish flag the same year the Spanish recaptured Grenada, the last Arab outpost in Spain.
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