August 13, 1521 CEReputable sourceWell documented
The Fall of Tenochtitlan
On the timeline · around August 13, 1521 CE ·
What happened
Starving, ravaged by disease and overwhelmed, Tenochtitlan finally fell on 13 August 1521. The emperor Cuauhtemoc was captured trying to flee across the lake, ending the Aztec Empire.
Why it matters
The fall of Tenochtitlan is one of history's great turning points — the end of independent Mesoamerica and the birth of Spanish colonial rule over the Americas.
Sources
- World History Encyclopedia. The Fall of Tenochtitlan · Reputable source
Related timelines
- The Maya Civilization → — The Maya were conquered in the decades after