Table of Contents
When did the city of Tenochtitlán fall?
May 1521
He was succeeded as emperor by his brother, Cuitláhuac. During the Spaniards’ retreat, they defeated a large Aztec army at Otumba and then rejoined their Tlaxcaltec allies. In May 1521, Cortés returned to Tenochtitlán, and after a three-month siege the city fell. This victory marked the fall of the Aztec empire.
What caused the fall of Tenochtitlán?
Disease. When the Spanish arrived, they brought with them smallpox. Smallpox spread among the indigenous people and crippled their ability to resist the Spanish. The disease devastated the Aztec people, greatly reducing their population and killing an estimated half of Tenochtitlán’s inhabitants.
When did the Aztecs rise and fall?
The Aztec Empire (c. 1345-1521) covered at its greatest extent most of northern Mesoamerica.
How long did the siege of Tenochtitlan last?
It lasted 70 days, until late November, and killed a vast number of people. At the end of December 1520, Cortés’ army moved toward Tenochtitlán; the boats followed later, transported in pieces overland by 8,000 native carriers. The early stage of the siege saw the surrender of towns all around the lake.
How did the Aztecs rise and fall?
The rise of the Aztec empire really began in 1150 with the fall of the Toltec empire. Their empire spread through most of central Mexico. After a period of droughts and internal factional conflict, the city collapsed and was burned and looted, possibly by the Chichimeca (the “wild” tribes to the north).
Who conquered the Aztec Empire?
Hernán Cortés
Between 1519 and 1521 Hernán Cortés and a small band of men brought down the Aztec empire in Mexico, and between 1532 and 1533 Francisco Pizarro and his followers toppled the Inca empire in Peru. These conquests laid the foundations for colonial regimes that would transform the Americas.
When did Aztecs found Tenochtitlan?
The city now known as Mexico City was founded as Mexico Tenochtitlan in 1324 and a century later became the dominant city-state of the Aztec Triple Alliance , formed in 1430 and composed of Tenochtitlan, Texcoco , and Tlacopan . At its height, Tenochtitlan had enormous temples and palaces, a huge ceremonial center,…
When did Spain defeat Tenochtitlan?
The Fall of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire, was a decisive event in the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire.It occurred in 1521 following extensive manipulation of local factions and exploitation of pre-existing divisions by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés, who was aided by the support of his indigenous allies and his interpreter and companion La Malinche.
When did Cortes reach Tenochtitlan?
On 8 November 1519, Spanish explorer Hernán Cortes reached Tenochtitlan – capital of the Aztec Empire . It would prove to be an era-defining moment, signalling the beginning of the end for the American continent’s great civilisations, and the start of a new and terrible age.
When were the Tenochtitlan destroyed?
It was destroyed by the Spanish conquistadores under Hernán Cortés in 1521. Aztec warriors defending the temple of Tenochtitlán.