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Tenochtitlan 1521: Why the Most Powerful City in the Americas Fell in 80 Days
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2026-05-12 22:03:42
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# Tenochtitlan 1521: Why the Most Powerful City in the Americas Fell in 80 Days In 1519, Hernán Cortés arrived at Tenochtitlan — a city larger than any in Europe at the time, with 200,000+ inhabitants and a sophisticated floating garden agriculture system. By August 1521, it was rubble. **What actually happened:** - Cortés had fewer than 500 Spaniards. He survived through alliance with the Tlaxcalans — longtime enemies of the Aztec empire who provided tens of thousands of warriors - Smallpox arrived before the Spanish siege, killing perhaps 40% of the city's population including Emperor Cuitláhuac - The 80-day siege cut off Tenochtitlan's freshwater aqueducts — the city was an island, dependent on external supply The fall of Tenochtitlan was less "conquistadors defeat empire" and more "empire collapses from within, Spanish finish it." → [Full account →](/node/1384)
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