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La Noche Triste The Night of Sorrows
The Year of 1520 was a dark time in the Spanish attack on the Aztecs. While it started out great, Cortez had fought his way to the great island city of Tenochtitlan with a force numbering around 21k with minimal resistance. It was there though, he made his biggest blunder. When he arrived in Tenochtitlan he was welcomed by the Aztec Emperor Moctezuma II, whom they promptly took hostage and demanded ransom. Cortez was then notified of a Spanish expedition to arrest him from Cuba. He left the city in the control of Pedro de Alvarado, a trusted lieutenant, while he was gone. Cortez marched and shattered the arresting force, even managing to recruit the survivors. In his absence Pedro heard of a plan of attack by the Aztecs so he slaughtered nobles and priests as they celebrated in the town square, the Aztecs attacked. Cortez and his men got back into Tenochtitlan and got Moctezuma II to try to persuade the Aztecs to let him leave in peace. They instead jeered and booed him. It was then the Spanish claim the Aztecs killed Moctezuma, the Aztecs claim the Spanish did. Nevertheless Moctezuma was dead and the Spanish were still under siege in Tenochtitlan.
With Moctezuma dead the Spanish realized just how vulnerable they were in the city. Cortez planned a breakout, built a portable bridge, and asked for a week long ceasefire so he could get out. On the night of the 20th of June Cortez and his army headed west to the Talcopan causeway. It was unguarded so Cortez and his men weaved their way through the city as a rainstorm descended upon them. Just before they made their way out Aztec warriors attacked and the alarm was sounded (some say a woman filling water jugs found Cortez). The fighting was ferocious but Cortez managed to weasel his way out along with a vanguard of horsemen, leaving the expedition to fend for itself. After seeing some wounded men escape Cortez charged back into the fray and was promptly captured. With that the Aztecs massacred the Spaniards and their Native American allies. Most sources say that over 20 000 men died that night, within a twenty minute span of time. After La Noche Triste (The Night of Sorrows) the Aztecs persuaded Tlaxcala to abandon their Spanish allies, using the example of La Noche to assure their support. A second expedition led by Diego Velazquez, Spanish Colonial Governor of Cuba, met with limited success, they were pushed out of Mexico after scant year of fighting. Cortez was in a Aztec prison for a year but was sacrificed after the failed Second Expedition. The Spanish Crown was approached by many other adventurers requesting financial backing, but after losing one conquistador and a Governor of Cuba Spain refused. The Aztecs were finally free to live in peace.
The Aztecs didn't have much time to revel in their victory though as they were quickly beset by Smallpox. The Spanish brought them over with them but were immune due to previous European outbreaks, the Aztecs didn't have that luxury. Droves of them died and the Aztec population nose dived, some cities were completely depopulated. The Aztecs began to burn bodies and even quarantined Tenochtitlan, the site of the first infections. It took 3 months for the epidemic to subside and by then the Empire was on shaky footing. The numerous different city-states that made up the Empire were plotting on taking over, or secession at the least. The Emperor Cuauhtémoc (the other died of smallpox), in a effort to show the Government was still strong,invaded the Tlaxcala for their support of the Spanish all those years ago. The Tlaxcala resisted valiantly but were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the grand Aztec Army. At least 100k were killed on both sides and 50k Tlaxcalans were captured only to be sacrificed later. The streets of Tenochtitlan ran red with blood for weeks afterward. After that there was no more talk of rebellion. The Aztec then took to expanding into both the Yucatan and Guatemala. They also overran the various states inside their territory. The Mayan states, although they were weakened by centuries of decline, put a hard fight. The Aztecs met numerous setbacks and after a major defeat at El Baul, gave up on trying to conquer them.