Hernán Cortés Conquers the Aztec Empire — Fall of Tenochtitlan
Between 1519 and 1521 Hernán Cortés led a force of approximately 500 Spaniards, supported by tens of thousands of indigenous allies from Tlaxcala and other peoples subjugated by the Aztecs, from the Gulf coast to the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan. After initial negotiations and the seizure of Emperor Moctezuma II as a hostage, a violent revolt on the 'Noche Triste' (June 1520) temporarily drove the Spaniards from the city. Cortés returned with a rebuilt force, besieged Tenochtitlan for eighty days, and on 13 August 1521 the last Aztec emperor Cuauhtémoc surrendered. The conquest destroyed one of the world's most sophisticated urban civilisations and opened the American interior to Spanish exploitation.
- Year: 1519 CE
- Category: Military
