In 1519, Hernan Cortes landed in Mexico with 500 men, 100 sailors, and 16 horses. He burned his ships when he decided that his goal was the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan or bust. He hooked up with a maiden named Malinche (Marina after being baptized) who gave birth to their child and served as an interpreter. Cortes discovered that the Aztecs were harsh rulers, so he convinced some of their conquered tribes to ally with him. Together they marched on the capital. Cortes tapped into an Aztec legend about a god named Quetzalcoatl who was believed to be returning around that time. The Aztecs thought these strange men could be his emissaries. The horses and guns of the conquistadors awed the Aztecs and they allowed them to enter the city unopposed. The Emperor Moctezuma II was cowed and became their puppet. In May, 1520, Cortes had to deal with an army led by Panfilo Narvaez that had been sent to rein him in. Cortes won the Battle of Cempoala and incorporated Narvaez men. Cortes had left a small force behind in the capital and while he was gone, their leader Pedro de Alvarado decided to preempt a rumored Aztec attack by wading into a crowd at a festival. Many unarmed Aztecs were slain in what became known as the Temple Massacre. Cortes returned to a city that was seething in anger. On June 26, with a hostile mob gathering, Cortes sent Moctezuma to quell the crowd. This had worked in the past, but this time the crowd stoned Moctezuma to death. On June 30, 1520, Cortes decided to escape at night. They would take their treasures with them. The escape route was over a causeway. The alerted Aztecs attacked. They used war canoes to pelt the conquistadors with arrows, stones, spears, etc. Many of the Spaniards fell into the water and drowned, especially those weighted down with loot. The causeway was intersected by some canals. At one of them, Cortes’ men literally walked across on the dead bodies. Some of the men retreated back to the palace where they were united with some of Narvaez men (who apparently had not been told about the escape). None of these men survived the siege. Cortes lost 600 men and 4,000 allies, but he was not pursued and was able to prepare for his return. He would be back.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/spanish-retreat-from-aztec-capital
https://www.thoughtco.com/the-night-of-sorrows-2136530
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Noche_Triste
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