The Conquest

Christopher Columbus reaches America

Dec 10, 1492

After sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus sights a Bahamian island, believing he has reached East Asia. His expedition went ashore the same day and claimed the land for Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain, who sponsored his attempt to find a western ocean route to China, India, and the fabled gold and spice islands of Asia.

Encounter between two Worlds

Aug 13, 1521

Hernan Cortés and his men encountered other Mesoamerican peoples living in the area. For example, they came into contact with the Tlaxcala, which was a powerful city-state to the east of Tenochtitlan. Tlaxcala were traditional enemies of the Aztec as the two had fought each in different battles including the Flower Wars. As such, the Tlaxcala used the opportunity to their advantage and allied themselves with the Spanish against Tenochtitlan. They ended up conquering Tenochtitlan.

The Cholula Massacre

1522

The Spanish went to Cholula, a loose ally of Tenochtitlan, and home of the cult of Quetzalcoatl. The invaders spent several days in the city but began to hear that an ambush was planned for them. Cortes rounded up the nobility of the city in one of the squares. Through Malinche, he spoke to the people of Cholula, when he was done speaking, he turned loose his men and Tlaxcalan allies on the square.

Malinche Joins the Expedition

1523

Cortes' first major stop in Mexico was the Grijalva River, where the invaders discovered a medium-sized town called Potonchan. Hostilities soon broke out, but the Spanish conquistadors defeated the natives. Seeking peace, the lord of Potonchan gave 20 slave girls as gifts. One of these girls, Malinali, spoke Nahuatl as well as a Mayan dialect understood by one of Cortes' men. Between them, they could translate for Cortes, solving his communication problem before it had even begun.

The Arrest of Moctezuma

1524

The conquistadors entered the great city of Tenochtitlan in November of 1519 and spent a week as guests of the nervous city. Then Cortes made a bold move: he arrested the emperor Moctezuma, placing him under guard and restricting his meetings and movements. Moctezuma agreed to this arrangement without much complaint. The Aztec nobility was stunned, but powerless to do much about it. Montezuma would never again taste freedom before his death on June 29, 1520.