Atlas of Battles

battle, major, early modern

La Noche Triste

La Noche Triste was a battle fought on 30 June 1520 at Lake Texcoco, in what is now Mexico; it lasted 1 day. It was part of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, which ran from 1519 to 1521. The recorded result: Mexica victory. Recorded strength: Varies; likely 1,000–2,000 Spanish and 12,000 Tlaxcaltec native allies against 20,000 Aztec warriors; likely more in reserves.

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After the death of Moctezuma, Cortés and his forces leave Tenochtitlán. The Mexica spot them and fiercely attack the Spanish and their allies. Second half of the seventeenth century. Oil on canvas.
After the death of Moctezuma, Cortés and his forces leave Tenochtitlán. The Mexica spot them and fiercely attack the Spanish and their allies. Second half of the seventeenth century. Oil on canvas.. Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought30 June 1520lasted 1 day
WhereLake Texcoco, Mexico30.664N, 109.235W
OutcomeMexica victory
BelligerentsCrown of Castile; Spanish Empire; Confederacy of TlaxcalaagainstMexica Triple Alliance
Part ofSpanish conquest of the Aztec Empire1519 to 1521

Where it sits in the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire

Battle of Tlaxcala, 1519Battle of the Pánuco River, 1520Battle of Tetzcoco, 1520Battle of Nautla, 1520Battle of Cempoala, 1520La Noche Triste, 1520Battle of Otumba, 1520Battle of Huaxtepec, 1521Battle of Tacuba, 1521Battle of Xaltocan, 1521Battle of Yecapixtla, 1521Battle of Colhuacatonco, 1521Battle of Loma del Sangremal, 153115191531La Noche Triste, 1520
13 placed engagements of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date30 June 1520
to 1 July 1520
PlaceLake Texcoco, Mexico
30.664N, 109.235W
KindBattle, early modern
StrengthVaries; likely 1,000–2,000 Spanish and 12,000 Tlaxcaltec native allies20,000 Aztec warriors; likely more in reserves
Casualties and lossesBetween 800 and 1200 Spanish killed, drowned, or captured; around 4,000 Tlaxcaltecs killed or capturedUnknown
Commanders
  • Hernán Cortés
  • Pedro de Alvarado
  • Gonzalo de Sandoval
  • Diego de Ordaz
  • Francisco de Saucedo
  • Francisco de Lugo (conquistador)
  • Cuitláhuac
La Noche TristeLa Noche TristeSiege of NacoFirst Battle of TerrenateSiege of NacoFirst Battle of TerrenateNogalesNuevo Casas GrandesCananeaMagdalenaNacozari de GarcíaAscensión100 km30.664N, 109.235W
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 La Noche Triste
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 50 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of La Noche Triste today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-07-05. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 1,530 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 935 to 2,253 m, 1,318 m of relief, mountainous country and today it is 63% shrubland, 31% tree cover, 6% grassland.

shrubland: 63%tree cover: 31%grassland: 6%shrubland 63%tree cover 31%grassland 6%
west to east, 10.0 km1,060 to 2,198 mnorth to south, 10.0 km1,189 to 1,908 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

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1520

La Noche Triste 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 Q1308854, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article La Noche Triste, revision 1370626402, 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.