Atlas of Battles

siege, major, early modern

Fall of Tenochtitlan

Fall of Tenochtitlan was a siege conducted on 10 May 1521 at Tenochtitlan, in what is now Mexico; it lasted 3 months. The recorded result: Spanish and Tlaxcaltec victory; Fall of the Mexica.

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From the Conquest of México series. Depicts the 1521 Fall of Tenochtitlan by Spanish Conquistador Hernán Cortés, in the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire.
From the Conquest of México series. Depicts the 1521 Fall of Tenochtitlan by Spanish Conquistador Hernán Cortés, in the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire.. Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought10 May 1521lasted 3 months
WhereTenochtitlan, Mexico19.435N, 99.131W
OutcomeSpanish and Tlaxcaltec victory; Fall of the Mexica
BelligerentsSpanish Empire (Governorate of Cuba); 16px Confederacy of Tlaxcala; 16px Tetzcoco; 16px Otomis; 16px Chalco; Mixquic; Huejotzingo; 16px Iztapalapaagainst30px Mexica; 20px Tenochtitlan; 20px Tlatelolco

Record

Date10 May 1521
to 13 August 1521
PlaceTenochtitlan, Mexico
19.435N, 99.131W
KindSiege, early modern
Territorial changeCreation of the Kingdom of New Spain
Strength900–1,300 Spanish infantry; 86 cavalry; 16 cannons; 13 lake brigantines; 50,000–200,000 Native allies80,000 warriors; 400 war canoes
Casualties and losses450–860 Spanish; 20,000 Natives100,000 killed in action; 300 war canoes sunk; At least 40,000 Aztecs civilians killed and captured, other sources claim 100,000 to 240,000 were killed in the campaign overall including warriors and civilians
Commanders
  • Hernán Cortés
  • Gonzalo de Sandoval
  • Pedro de Alvarado
  • Cristóbal de Olid
  • Chichimecatecuhtli
  • Xicotencatl II
  • Cuauhtémoc
  • Coanacoch
Fall of TenochtitlanFall of TenochtitlanBattle of ColhuacatoncoBattle of TlatelolcoSiege of Mexico CityBattle of ChapultepecBattle of Molino del ReySiege of Mexico CityBattle of ChapultepecPueblaQuerétaroCuernavacaPachucaPoza Rica de HidalgoZumpangoTaxcoCiudad Altamirano100 km19.435N, 99.131W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Fall of Tenochtitlan
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Fall of Tenochtitlan today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-04-05. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 2,230 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 2,223 to 2,288 m, 65 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 89% built-up, 8% tree cover, 2% bare ground.

built-up: 89%tree cover: 8%bare ground: 2%built-up 89%tree cover 8%bare ground 2%
west to east, 10.0 km2,226 to 2,251 mnorth to south, 10.0 km2,228 to 2,249 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 6 times between 1473 and 1867.

Elsewhere in 1521

Fall of Tenochtitlan is one of 1,390 engagements of the 16th century in the atlas and one of 160 in present-day Mexico.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q593267, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Fall of Tenochtitlan, revision 1383666968, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.