No Cortez?

We see lots of PODs about "no Spanish invasions of Mesoamerica" (which usually lead to no invasions of the Andes), but let's take it for granted that even if the Aztecs obliterate the Spanish force and Cortez's gambit doesn't pay off, the Spanish will be back looking for gold, and they won't be asking politely. But what then? Without Cortez's clever realpolitick (forming an alliance with the Aztecs' many enemies) or his sheer devotion/insanity (burning the ships), it's dubious that any other Spanish armies the same size as Cortez's could do what was done IOTL. So the Aztecs destroy the puny force, but not before European diseases start slamming through Mesoamerica and the Indians feel the power of the European technical advantage. What happens next? Slow, steady conquest of the Mexican tribes, or a quick but much bloodier (for the Spanish) war? What effect will this have on later contact with the Inca and on colonization?
 
Cortes had a very unique combination of circumstances, not least of which was "I'll get hanged if I return without a butt-load of gold." If a Spanish army is sent in later, with Royal support, there's no guarantee they'll be as devoted. And if the Aztecs kill Cortes so quickly, they won't be so happy to see later expeditions, unlike their OTL reaction to Cortes and the Incas' OTL reaction to Pizzaro. If any of the Conquistadors somehow survive and bring back proof that there's a lot of gold in Tenochtitlan, later adventurers might make another effort, but there's no guarantee any will succeed. Perhaps if they step in at a crucial point, when the Aztecs collapse, they can win. Maybe an alliance with a growing Tarascan Empire?
 
Anything that slows down the Spanish presence in Mesoamerica is great for the Inca: Atahualpa will have more time to recover from the civil war with his brother and the smallpox plagues. Also, as Roberto, said Cortes was really a unique character. Theres no guarantee that somebody else would be able to reproduce it in an alternate TL (Pizarro was deliberately following Cortes formula when he conquered the Incas).
 
No Cortés means no invasion of MesoAmerica, at least in the short term. The expedition that he lead was more or less a hijacked trading mission, IIRC. A lot of his numbers before the retreat from Tenochtitlan came from an army that had been sent to bring him to justice.

This raises several possibilities, because if Cortés is not present then the spanish may never invade the Aztecs, or the act will be delayed...
 
Another interesting aspect: Cortez's success was also part luck, in the sense that he fit the mold for "returning god" and knew how to pull it off. Therefore, it's probably safe to say that without this advantage, the Spaniards won't get into Tenochtitlan in the first place. Wreak havoc to the surrounding countryside, yes, but the riches and grandeur of that city will remain untouched...
 
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