August 13, 1521: Cortés captures Tenochtitlan

On this day in 1521, Hernando Cortés captured the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, clearing the final major hurdle for the Spanish conquest of Mexico.

Cortés arrived in Mexico in April 1519 with directions to explore the Yucatan coast. He had bigger plans, though: he wanted to reach the famed city of Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City) and its large quantities of gold. He scuttled his ships to prevent anyone from returning to Cuba.

At first, relations between Cortés and Emperor Moctezuma (often called Montezuma in English) were somewhat warm, even though Cortés held the Aztec leader hostage. But that changed after the Spaniards led a massacre during a religious festival and killed Moctezuma.

The conquistador besieged the capital – at the time one of the largest cities in the world, with as many as 300,000 residents – and with the help of other native tribes, finally conquered the city. He had a bit of help from smallpox, which had killed about half the population the previous autumn.

Aztec leaders had hidden much of the gold in their possession; the Spaniards tortured them by burning their feet with oil.

For more, check out this post on The Mad Monarchist.

Image: William de Leftwich Dodge. “The Last Days of Tenochtitlan—Conquest of Mexico by Cortez” (1899).