Hernán Cortés's forces seize Tlatoani Cuauhtémoc and topple the Aztec capital of

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Cortes Captures Aztec Capital: An Empire Falls

Hernán Cortés's forces seize Tlatoani Cuauhtémoc and topple the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan after a grueling siege. This conquest shatters the empire's political structure, enabling the rapid imposition of Spanish colonial rule and triggering a demographic collapse among Indigenous peoples through warfare and introduced diseases.

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August 13, 1521

505 years ago

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Cortes Captures Aztec Capital: An Empire Falls

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