1519–1521Reputable sourceWell documented
Cortés and the Fall of the Aztec Empire
On the timeline · around 1519–1521 ·
What happened
Landing in Mexico in 1519, the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés marched on the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan. Exploiting local resentment of Aztec rule to raise thousands of Indigenous allies, and aided by a devastating smallpox epidemic, he besieged and destroyed the city in 1521.
Why it matters
The fall of the Aztec Empire founded Spain's vast American empire of New Spain and showed how a few Europeans, imported disease, and local divisions could topple a great civilization.
Sources
- World History Encyclopedia. Hernán Cortés · Reputable source