Storiascopio · Era 9 of 12 · lower secondary year 2
The conquest of Tenochtitlán
1521 · Tenochtitlán (now Mexico City), Mexico
In short
Tenochtitlán, the Aztec capital, stood on an island in the middle of a lake and was one of the largest cities in the world, with canals, markets and temples. In 1519 the Spaniard Hernán Cortés arrived there with a few hundred soldiers, allied with peoples who were enemies of the Aztecs. After a long siege, the city fell in August 1521. European weapons and above all smallpox, a disease unknown in America, killed huge numbers of its people. Mexico City was built on its ruins.
Why it matters It marked the start of Spanish rule in America and the end of one of the continent's great civilisations.
Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Tenochtitlán”
Where we are in the era “Early modern age”
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about 1420Event 12 of 251687
Your turn
Name ______________________ Class ______ Date __________
When did it happen? Find the date at the top and write it here:
Tell it in your own words: what happened?
Draw the scene below.
storiascopio.com/en/event/the-conquest-of-tenochtitlan/ · free worksheet, you may photocopy it for your class