In 1519, the Spanish conquistador, Hernan Cortes, sailed from Europe to land in what is now Mexico. After a difficult journey inland, Cortes and his men entered the Aztec capital city and met , the Aztec leader. Normally, the Spanish adventurers would have been captured and sacrificed immediately, because that is what the Aztecs did to invaders.  But the Spanish were lucky. They were allowed to enter the city, and welcomed as valued guests, all because of an old legend. This legend told of the god Quetzalcoatl. The Aztecs believed that the god of night had defeated Quetzalcoatl in a game of tlachtli. As the winner, the god of night could decide what to do with Quetzalcoatl. The god of night decided to banish Quetzalcoatl to the East. Quetzalcoatl had no choice but to leave. He vowed that some day he would return, when the end of the world was near, to save his people. The Aztecs were always worried that the end of the world was always near. That's why they sacrificed so many people. They wanted to keep their gods very happy, so they could save their people. When the Spanish arrived from the East, the Aztecs believed that Quetzalcoatl had kept his promise and had returned. They treated the Spanish as if they were gods.