La Noche Triste

La Noche Triste (Spanish for "The Sad Night") was a famous battle between the Spanish conquistadors and the Aztecs, a native people of Mexico. The battle took place on the shores of Lake Texcoco near the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan in the night between June 30 and July 1, 1520.

The Spanish side, led by Hernán Cortés, had 600 to 1000 Spanish soldiers and 20,000 native Mexican allies. The Aztecs, led by Cuitláhuac (the son of Moctezuma II), had 50,000 soldiers. The Aztec soldiers won the battle. They made the Spanish army leave their city. The Spanish army lost almost all their equipment and the gold they took from Tenochtitlan.  Between 400 and 800 Spanish soldiers were killed or captured. Between 2,000 and 4,000 native Mexican allies of the Spanish were killed or captured. The Aztecs lost about 1,000 soldiers.

Local enemies of the Aztecs rescued the survivors. They organized a bigger army, returned, and attacked in 1521, causing the Fall of Tenochtitlan

References

Category:16th-century battles
Category:1520
Category:Aztec
Category:16th century in Spain
Category:History of Mexico