1521 AD
Tenochtitlan Falls to Cortés and His Allies
After a long siege, Spanish forces and indigenous allies captured the Aztec capital, ending the Aztec Empire.
- Time period
- 1521 AD
- Region
- Mexico
- Theme
- Conquest
- Civilization
- Aztec Empire
In August 1521, Hernán Cortés and thousands of indigenous allies, especially Tlaxcalans, captured Tenochtitlan after a siege of several months. Disease, especially smallpox, and hunger had devastated the city's defenders. The Aztec ruler Cuauhtémoc was taken prisoner, and the Spanish later built Mexico City on the ruins.