1519 CEReputable source · 2 sourcesWell documented
The Tlaxcalan Alliance
On the timeline · around 1519 CE ·
What happened
Marching inland, the Spanish first fought and then allied with Tlaxcala, an independent state that had long resisted Aztec domination. Tens of thousands of Tlaxcalan warriors joined Cortés against their hated enemy in Tenochtitlan.
Why it matters
Indigenous allies, above all the Tlaxcalans, were decisive: the conquest of the Aztecs was as much a revolt of their subject and rival peoples as a Spanish victory.
Sources
- World History Encyclopedia. Hernán Cortés · Reputable source
- World History Encyclopedia. Cortés & the Fall of the Aztec Empire · Reputable source