Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire

Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire
Part of the Spanish colonization of the Americas and Mexican Indian Wars
Conquest of Mexico by Cortés, oil on canvas[2] Spanish: Conquista de México por Cortés
Date February 1519 – 13 August 1521 against the Aztec Empire, after 1522 – 17 February 1530 against the Purépecha Empire Location Aztec Empire and other indigenous states (modern-day Mexico) Result Spanish-Indigenous allies victory Territorial changes Annexation of the Aztec Empire, the Purépecha Empire, and others by the Spanish Empire Creation of the Kingdom of New Spain
Belligerents
[1] Spanish Empire New Spain (after 1521) Indigenous allies: Confederacy of Tlaxcala Tetzcoco Totonacapan Huejotzingo Zaachilaa Purépecha Empire (since 1529) Support or occasional alliesb: Otomi Chalco Xochimilco Mixquic Iztapalapa	Aztec Triple Alliance (1519–1521) Tenochtitlan Cholula Tlatelolco Chalco Xochimilco Xaltocan Tlacopan Allied city-states: Teotitlan Independent kingdoms and city-states: Confederacy of Tlaxcala (1519) Purépecha Empire (1522–1530) Metztitlan Tututepec (1522) Yopitzinco Colliman (1523) Xalisco Guamare Confederacy Other Chichimecas Tonallan Various petty city-states and tribes (map) Governorate of Cuba (1520, see)
Commanders and leaders
Spanish commanders: Hernán Cortés Pedro de Alvarado Gonzalo de Sandoval Cristóbal de Olid Diego de Ordaz Nuño de Guzmán Juan de Escalante † Indigenous allies: Xicotencatl the Younger  Xicotencatl the Elder Maxixcatl Xicomecoatl of Cempoala Cosijopii I of Zaachila Ixtlilxochitl II of Texcoco	Aztec commanders: Moctezuma II † Cuitláhuac † Cuauhtémoc  Itzquauhtzin of Tlatelolco † Cacamatzin of Texcoco † Coanacoch of Texcoco  Tetlepanquetzal of Tlacopan  Tangaxuan II  Various local rulers and chieftains Pánfilo de Narváez (WIA) (POW)
Strength
Spaniards (total): ~2,500–3,000 infantry[3] 90–100 cavalry 32 guns 13 brigantines ~80,000–200,000 Tlaxcaltecs ~10,000 Totonac (~8,400 followed Cortés from Cempoala) and high number of other indigenous allies	200,000 Mexica-Aztecs 100,000 Purépecha Unknown number of other natives 900 Spaniards at the Battle of Cempoala (1520)
Casualties and losses
1,800 Spaniards dead[3] 1,000 killed in battle[4] 15+ cannons lost[5][6] Tens of thousands of Tlaxcaltecs and indigenous allies dead[citation needed]	200,000 Aztecs dead (including civilians)[4] 300 war canoes sunk[4] Unknown casualties of other natives 15 Spaniards dead, many wounded at the Battle of Cempoala (1520)
^ a. Formed an alliance with Pedro de Alvarado against Mixtecos. ^ b. Primarily military support against Tenochtitlan and joined the siege (1521).

The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire was a pivotal event in the history of the Americas, marked by the collision of the Aztec Triple Alliance and the Spanish Empire, ultimately reshaping the course of human history. Taking place between 1519 and 1521, this event saw the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés, and his small army of soldiers and indigenous allies, overthrowing one of the most powerful empires in Mesoamerica.

Led by the Aztec ruler Moctezuma II, the Aztec Empire had established dominance over central Mexico through military conquest and intricate political alliances. A combination of factors including superior weaponry, strategic alliances with rival indigenous groups, and the impact of European diseases contributed to the downfall of the Aztec civilization.

The conquest of Tenochtitlán, the capital of the Aztec Empire, marked the beginning of Spanish dominance in the region and the establishment of the colony of New Spain. This conquest had profound consequences, as it led to the cultural assimilation, subjugation, and decline of indigenous civilizations in the Americas, while also paving the way for the emergence of a new social hierarchy dominated by Spanish conquerors and their descendants.