The fall of Tenochtitlan
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Decisions, questions and your own progress, in the app
The fall of Tenochtitlan, 17th-century painting · Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain · Source page
The story
The Aztec capital stood on an island in Lake Texcoco, joined to land by causeways. With perhaps 200,000 people, it was bigger than almost any city in Europe.
What happened next
Hernán Cortés and a few hundred Spaniards allied with thousands of Indigenous enemies of the Aztecs. Smallpox weakened the city, and it fell after a long siege in August 1521.
Remember
- Mexico City is built on its ruins
- Floating gardens called chinampas fed the city
- The Aztecs called themselves the Mexica
Review question
Where was Tenochtitlan built?
Answer: On an island in a lake. Causeways and canals linked it to the shore, which amazed the Spanish when they arrived.
Image credits
- The fall of Tenochtitlan, 17th-century painting · Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain · Source page
