Siege of Tenochtitlan

The Siege of Tenochtitlán (1521) was a pivotal battle between Spanish conquistadors led by Hernán Cortés and the Aztec Empire. The Spanish, with indigenous allies, surrounded and attacked the Aztec capital, a large island city built on Lake Texcoco. After months of fighting and blockades, diseases like smallpox weakened the Aztec population. The city fell when the Spanish breached its walls, marking the end of the Aztec Empire and the beginning of Spanish colonization in Mexico. The siege combined military conquest, alliances with native enemies, and devastating disease to bring about a major cultural and political shift.