Fall of Tenochtitlan

Siege of Tenochtitlan
Part of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire
"Conquista de México por Cortés". Unknown artist, second half of the 17th century. Library of Congress, Washington, DC. The depiction of the Aztecs' clothing and weaponry is inaccurate.
Date May 26 – August 13, 1521 Julian Date (2 months, 2 weeks and 4 days) Location Tenochtitlan, present-day Mexico City, Mexico Result Decisive Spanish and Tlaxcallan victory Fall of the Aztec Empire
Belligerents
Spain Tlaxcala	Triple Alliance
Commanders and leaders
Hernán Cortés Gonzalo de Sandoval Pedro de Alvarado Cristóbal de Olid Xicotencatl I Xicotencatl II	Cuauhtémoc (POW)
Strength
16 guns 13 brigantines 80,000–200,000 native allies 90–100 cavalry 900–1,300 infantry	80,000-300,000 warriors(including war acallis)
Casualties and losses
450–860 Spanish 20,000 Tlaxcallan	100,000 warriors 100,000 civilians

Decisive Spanish and Tlaxcallan victory

The Siege of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire, was a decisive event in the Spanish conquest of Mexico. It occurred in 1521 following extensive manipulation of local factions and exploitation of preexisting divisions by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés, who was aided by the support of his indigenous allies and his interpreter and companion Malinche.

Although numerous battles were fought between the Aztec Empire and the Spanish-led coalition, which was itself composed primarily of indigenous (mostly Tlaxcaltec) personnel, it was the siege of Tenochtitlan—its outcome probably largely determined by the effects of a smallpox epidemic (which devastated the Aztec population and dealt a severe blow to the Aztec leadership while leaving an immune Spanish leadership intact)—that directly led to the downfall of the Aztec civilization and marked the end of the first phase of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire.

The conquest of Mexico was a critical stage in the Spanish colonization of the Americas. Ultimately, Spain conquered Mexico and thereby gained substantial access to the Pacific Ocean, which meant that the Spanish Empire could finally achieve its original oceanic goal of reaching the Asian markets.

In April 1519 Hernán Cortés, the Chief Magistrate of Santiago, Cuba, came upon the coast of Mexico at a point he called Vera Cruz with 508 soldiers, 100 sailors, and 14 small cannons. Governor Velázquez, the highest Spanish authority in the Americas, called for Cortés to lead an expedition into Mexico after reports from a few previous expeditions to Yucatán caught the interest of the Spanish in Cuba. Velázquez revoked Cortés' right to lead the expedition once he realized that Cortés intended to exceed his mandate and invade the mainland. After Cortés sailed, Velázquez sent an army led by Pánfilo de Narváez to take him into custody.

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