What happened in present-day Mexico City 1521?

In 1521, the Spanish conquistadors, led by Hernán Cortés, laid siege to the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, which is located in present-day Mexico City.

After more than 70 days of intense fighting, on August 13, 1521, Cuauhtémoc, the last Aztec emperor, surrendered to Cortés, marking the end of the Aztec Empire and the beginning of Spanish rule in Mexico. This event had a profound impact on the region and marked the start of nearly 300 years of Spanish colonial rule in Mexico.