Battle Of Tenochtitlan
Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztecs, was by all accounts a fully constructed, bustling city prior to the Spanish conquest. Hernán Cortés, the commander of the conquistadors dispatched to annex it to Spanish dominion, described it as a sizable city with a complex web of parallel roads and canals, as well as a bustling marketplace frequented by more than 60,000 people daily.
All of that would abruptly come to an end in 1521 when Cortés' soldiers besieged it alongside thousands of other native allies who had their own power-seeking objectives. Despite having a significant numerical advantage over the Spanish army, Cortés' superior artillery easily defeated the Aztecs. The recent smallpox outbreak, to which the Aztecs had almost no immunity, made things worse for them. In order to put an end to further resistance to Spanish control, the invading force that overran Tenochtitlan in August 1521 killed thousands, if not tens of thousands, of the city's citizens.
The fight accelerated the demise of the Aztec empire, and within the following three years, Spain had taken control of the whole Mesoamerican region, ushering in an era that saw the colonization of the other American continents.
Date: May 26 – August 13, 1521 (75 days)
Location: Tenochtitlan, present-day Mexico City, Mexico
Result: Tlaxcallan and Spanish victory
- Fall of the Aztec Empire
