Aztec city fell 500 years ago: who conquered Tenochtitlán?

In Mexico it is 500 years since the fall of Tenochtitlán, the capital of the Aztecs. Historians ask whether one can speak of a conquest by the Spaniards – because they had numerous indigenous allies.

Rehearsals at the Zócalo, the central square in downtown Mexico City for a light show. Preparations for the big ceremony have been taking place here for days: The capital of the Aztecs, Tenochtitlán, fell 500 years ago. As a souvenir, a huge model of the Templo Mayor, the sacred site of the Aztecs, is set up in the middle of the square. The original was a few meters away. It was destroyed by the Spaniards in order to build the cathedral of Mexico City with the stones – as a sign of the victory of Christianity.

Around the anniversary, thousands of traditional dancers will perform their rites in the Zócalo for days. For representatives of the indigenous peoples, the fall of Tenochtitlán marks the beginning of the resistance.

Itztli, whose Spanish name is José Luis Hernández, is one of the dancers who can almost always be found next to the cathedral. He says: “August 12, 1521 was the last day of freedom, the self-determination of our peoples. The next day the Spaniards conquered this great city of Mexico-Tenochtitlán. From that moment on they took over our territory, our freedom, our history to impose colonialism on us. “

“Conquista” is questioned

The fall of Tenochtitlán marked the beginning of a new era for Mesoamerica, an area that stretches from present-day Mexico to Costa Rica in the south.

For a long time there was talk of the “conquista”, the conquest. But the term is increasingly being questioned by historians in Mexico. The Spaniard Hernán Cortés only had a few hundred soldiers with him when he marched against the capital of the Aztecs.

“Rebellion of the peoples conquered by the Aztecs”

Without outside support, Cortés would never have got this far, explains Federico Navarrete, historian at the National Independent University of Mexico: “The army that conquered Mexico-Tenochtitlán consisted of 99 percent indigenous warriors and one percent Spanish. So it was one Rebellion of the peoples of the Aztecs of Mexico, a war of the peoples of Mesoamerica against the Aztecs, “said Navarrete. “In their expeditions the Spaniards allied themselves with the indigenous rebels. The old regime collapsed and the colonial regime began.”

Two years ago, Mexico’s President Andres Manuel López Obrador demanded an apology from the Spanish king for the injustices that occurred during the conquest. The own government must also ask for forgiveness. If a poll is to be believed, more than half of Mexicans think that an apology from Spain is unnecessary.

Excuse me from Mexico’s government?

The historian Navarrete thinks Spain’s reaction to not even entering into a discussion is arrogant. But the question is more complex: “For many indigenous intellectuals, it is not up to the government to demand an apology on behalf of the indigenous people, that is a matter for the indigenous peoples,” said Navarrete. “It would be more important for them that the Mexican government apologize for what they have done to them over the past 200 years – since independence – than that the Spanish government apologize for the previous 300 years.”

Itztli will celebrate the 500th anniversary with ritual dances. Before returning to his group, he quotes a pre-Hispanic prophecy in his Nahuatl language: “As long as the world exists, the glory and splendor of Mexico-Tenochtitlán will never end.”