The Aztecs did not practice Catholicism before the Europeans arrived; they had no exposure to it until then.
The Spaniards arrived in the Americas in 1492.
1640
On a boat
There are 175 men who greet Pizarro and the Spaniards when they arrive to see Atahualpa.
the Spaniards arrive in Jamaica in the year1492
The Mayans arrived in Mexico near the Aztecs.
The Spaniards arrive in Mexico just after the Aztecs.
Since Catholicism was still around in Britain at the time of the First Fleet, some of the first convicts to arrive would have been Catholic, and indeed, a large proportion of them were Irish (who were mostly Catholic).
That's because they saw Mr. Hernan Cortes as a god, due to their god was supposed to arrive that year.
The first people to come to the Americas in the late 1400s were the Spaniards led by Christopher Columbus.
They arrived on 1519. They allied with some native tribes; of special importance were the Tlaxcalans, who were bitter enemies of the Aztecs. After June 30, 1520 they made their intentions clear and massacred many people in Tenochtitlan. With the help of Tlaxcalan warriors (up to 10,000) and many deaths induced by smallpox, the Spaniards were able to defeat a much weaker Aztec empire.
The first time he attacked the Aztecs, he took advantage of Montezuma's (Aztec leader) hospitality, taking him prisoner. This led to Hernan Cortes controlling the Aztecs, until they rebelled, finally forcing Hernan Cortes out. Cortes then waited for more Spanish troops to arrive, and when they did, going back to attack the Aztecs, but this time completely demolishing their city of Tenochtitlan.