Fall of Aztec Empire - Research History

The omens were many: the devastating destruction of the temple of Huitzilopochtli by fire, Lake Mexico boiled over and flooded homes, a comet soared across the sky, some fishermen discovered a bird with an oddly strange mirror on its head and when the Emperor looked at its reflection, he saw a vision of future destruction and war.

The Aztec Emperor Montezuma II , born (circa 1466), demanded meaning from the soothsayers, who said that the events prophesied the end of his kingdom. And, in fact, this would come true, starting with the appointment of Hernán Cortés, Chief Magistrate of Santiago, on October 23, 1518 , as “captain-general” to command an expedition to the Yucatan.

Hernán Cortés, initially welcomed by the Aztec Emperor because of a resemblance to the Aztec god-king Quetzalcoatl, ultimately became well known as a Spanish conquistador for his conquest of the Aztec Empire and claiming Mexico for Spain. Below is a map showing the The 1519 to 1521 route of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire — taken in Central Mexico by Hernando Cortes

The 1519 to 1521 route of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire — taken in Central Mexico by Hernando Cortes. Scan from “Historical Atlas” by William R. Shepherd, New York, Henry Holt and Company, 1926 ed. Original image at the Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection at the en:University of Texas at Austin website: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/shepherd/conquest_mexico_1519_21.jpg From the FAQ @ http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/faq.html Most of the maps scanned by the University of Texas Libraries and served from this web site are in the public domain. No permissions are needed to copy them. You may download them and use them as you wish. A few maps are copyrighted, and are clearly marked as such. Any that are copyrighted by The University of Texas are subject to our Materials Usage Guidelines. This map is not so marked.