aug 13, 1521 - Cortes defeats the Aztecs
Description:
Cortes stated in letters to King Charles that the Aztecs believed that he was an emissary of one of their gods, the feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl. He used this to take Moctezuma hostage. After a bloody massacre at the Temple, Cortes' forces escaped, and laid siege to the city. Starved of their resources, the new ruler surrendered, and the Spanish took control of the Aztec Empire, renaming the capital Mexico City.
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Colonization of the Americas
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