Siege of Tenochtitlan
1521 · Tenochtitlan (present-day Mexico City) · World · Modern
After a siege of about three months (accounts of its start and end differ), Tenochtitlan fell on August 13, 1521; the last tlatoani, Cuauhtémoc, was captured while fleeing by canoe.
Belligerents
Spaniards and Indigenous peoples' allied forces
- Commanders
- Hernán Cortés, Pedro de Alvarado, Gonzalo de Sandoval
- Strength
- About 900 Spaniards and 13 brigantines, plus tens of thousands of Indigenous allies from Tlaxcala and elsewhere (by one account more than 100,000)
Mexica (Aztecs)
- Commanders
- Cuauhtémoc
- Strength
- No reliable record
Background
After La Noche Triste, Cortés regrouped his forces in Tlaxcala and won over Texcoco and other city-states discontented with the Mexica. Smallpox spread in Tenochtitlan, the new king Cuitláhuac died of illness, and Cuauhtémoc succeeded him.
Course of the battle
- Shipbuilding and encirclementBrigantines were assembled at Texcoco and launched onto the lake to seize control of the water.
- Blockade and cutting off waterThe Chapultepec aqueduct was cut, and forces were divided to blockade the three causeways.
- Street-by-street advanceThe besiegers advanced by day, demolishing houses to fill in the canals, while the defenders counterattacked at night.
- Last stand at TlatelolcoThe defenders fell back to the Tlatelolco market district in the north, as hunger and disease worsened.
- City falls, ruler capturedOn August 13 Cuauhtémoc was captured, and resistance came to an end.
Outcome at a glance
| Date | 1521 |
|---|---|
| Place | Tenochtitlan (modern Mexico City) |
| Result | After a siege of about three months (accounts of its start and end differ), Tenochtitlan fell on August 13, 1521; the last tlatoani, Cuauhtémoc, was captured while fleeing by canoe. |
| Winner | Spaniards and Indigenous peoples' allied forces |
| Casualties | Mexica deaths from fighting, famine and disease are estimated in the tens of thousands, with no agreed exact figure; the besiegers also suffered considerable losses. |
| Territorial change | The Aztec Triple Alliance collapsed, and the Spaniards built Mexico City on the ruins, which later became the capital of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. |
Impact
The fall of Tenochtitlan marked the downfall of one of the most powerful Indigenous states in the Americas, and Indigenous allies played a decisive role in it.
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