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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Wikipedia