North America 1521: Fall of Tenochtitlan

13 August 1521
13 Aug 1521
Fall of Tenochtitlan
In June 1520 Moctezuma’s brother Cuitláhuac led the Aztecs in revolt against the Spanish, resulting in Moctezuma’s death and forcing Cortés to flee Tenochtitlan. Cuitláhuac died a few months later—perhaps from smallpox—and was succeeded by Cuauhtémoc, while the Spanish fell back on Tlaxcala to reorganize. In late 1520 Cortés was ready to return, gaining control of Lake Texcoco with a locally-constructed fleet of brigantines, and capturing Tenochtitlan itself in May–August 1521.