Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire

E3191

conquest historical event military campaign

The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire was the early 16th-century military and political campaign led by Hernán Cortés that toppled the powerful Aztec civilization and brought central Mexico under Spanish colonial rule.

Try in SPARQL Jump to: Surface forms Disambiguation Statements Elicitation Referenced by

All labels observed (16)

Label	Occurrences
Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire canonical	58
Spanish conquest of Mexico	12
Conquest of the Aztec Empire	2
Conquest of Mexico	1
Cortés expedition to Mexico	1
Destruction of Tenochtitlan	1
Fall of Tenochtitlan	1
Hernán Cortés expedition to Mexico	1
Hernán Cortés’s conquest of the Aztec Empire	1
Siege of Tenochtitlan	1
Siege of Tenochtitlan (1521)	1
Spanish conquest of New Spain	1
Spanish–Aztec War	1
conquest of the Aztec Empire	1
expedition of Hernán Cortés	1
siege of Tenochtitlan	1

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T34777 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire
Context triple: [Age of Exploration, hasKeyEvent, Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire]

A. Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire was a vast early modern global empire that dominated much of the Americas, parts of Europe, Africa, and Asia, becoming one of history’s most powerful colonial powers.
B. Spanish–American War
The Spanish–American War was an 1898 conflict between the United States and Spain that marked the emergence of the U.S. as a global power and led to American control over former Spanish colonies in the Caribbean and Pacific.
C. Eighty Years' War
The Eighty Years' War was a protracted 16th–17th century conflict in which the Dutch provinces fought for and ultimately secured independence from Spanish rule, laying the foundations of the Dutch Republic.
D. Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was an 1832 conflict between the United States and a coalition of Native American tribes led by the Sauk leader Black Hawk, notable for involving future U.S. President Abraham Lincoln in his early military service.
E. Age of Exploration
The Age of Exploration was a period from the 15th to 17th centuries when European powers undertook extensive overseas voyages that led to global maritime trade networks, colonization, and the first sustained contacts between previously isolated continents.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire
Target entity description: The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire was the early 16th-century military and political campaign led by Hernán Cortés that toppled the powerful Aztec civilization and brought central Mexico under Spanish colonial rule.

A. Spanish Expulsion of 1492
The Spanish Expulsion of 1492 was the royal decree by Ferdinand and Isabella that forced all practicing Jews to leave Spain, marking a major turning point in Jewish and Iberian history.
B. Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire was a vast early modern global empire that dominated much of the Americas, parts of Europe, Africa, and Asia, becoming one of history’s most powerful colonial powers.
C. Spanish–American War
The Spanish–American War was an 1898 conflict between the United States and Spain that marked the emergence of the U.S. as a global power and led to American control over former Spanish colonies in the Caribbean and Pacific.
D. Eighty Years' War
The Eighty Years' War was a protracted 16th–17th century conflict in which the Dutch provinces fought for and ultimately secured independence from Spanish rule, laying the foundations of the Dutch Republic.
E. Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was an 1832 conflict between the United States and a coalition of Native American tribes led by the Sauk leader Black Hawk, notable for involving future U.S. President Abraham Lincoln in his early military service.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (64)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	conquest ⓘ historical event ⓘ military campaign ⓘ
alsoKnownAs	Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ surface form: Conquest of Mexico
cause	Internal divisions among indigenous polities ⓘ Spanish search for wealth and territory ⓘ
countryInvolved	Aztec Empire ⓘ Crown of Castile ⓘ
describedIn	Cartas de Relación by Hernán Cortés ⓘ The True History of the Conquest of New Spain ⓘ
endTime	1521 ⓘ
followedBy	Spanish colonization of the Americas ⓘ surface form: Consolidation of the Viceroyalty of New Spain Spanish conquest of Guatemala ⓘ
hasCommander	Cuauhtémoc ⓘ Cuitláhuac ⓘ Hernán Cortés ⓘ La Malinche ⓘ Moctezuma II ⓘ Pedro de Alvarado ⓘ Pánfilo de Narváez ⓘ
hasEffect	Christianization of central Mexico ⓘ Demographic collapse of indigenous population ⓘ Destruction and looting of Aztec temples and treasures ⓘ Foundation of Mexico City on site of Tenochtitlan ⓘ Imposition of Spanish colonial rule ⓘ Spread of Old World diseases in Mesoamerica ⓘ
hasKeyFigure	Bernal Díaz del Castillo ⓘ Charles I of Spain ⓘ surface form: Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar ⓘ La Malinche ⓘ Tlaxcalan leaders ⓘ
hasLanguage	Uto-Aztecan ⓘ surface form: Classical Nahuatl Spanish ⓘ
hasMainBelligerent	Spanish conquistadors ⓘ Tenochtitlan ⓘ Texcoco, Mexico ⓘ surface form: Texcoco Tlaxcala ⓘ Triple Alliance ⓘ
hasPart	Alliance with Tlaxcala ⓘ Battle of Otumba ⓘ Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire self-linksurface differs ⓘ surface form: Destruction of Tenochtitlan La Noche Triste ⓘ March from Veracruz to Tenochtitlan ⓘ Christianization of central Mexico ⓘ surface form: Massacre at the Templo Mayor Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire self-linksurface differs ⓘ surface form: Siege of Tenochtitlan
location	Aztec Empire ⓘ Central Mexico ⓘ Mesoamerica ⓘ
partOf	Age of Exploration ⓘ surface form: Age of Discovery Spanish colonization of the Americas ⓘ
result	Collapse of the Aztec Empire ⓘ Viceroyalty of New Spain ⓘ surface form: Establishment of New Spain Expansion of Spanish Empire in the Americas ⓘ Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire self-linksurface differs ⓘ surface form: Fall of Tenochtitlan Spanish control of central Mexico ⓘ
significantFor	end of major Mesoamerican imperial power ⓘ transition from indigenous rule to Spanish colonial rule in central Mexico ⓘ
startTime	1519 ⓘ
timePeriod	early 16th century ⓘ
used	Firearms ⓘ Horses ⓘ Indigenous allies ⓘ Steel weapons ⓘ War dogs ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (85)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Age of Exploration → hasKeyEvent → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

Spanish Empire → significantEvent → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

this entity surface form: Conquest of the Aztec Empire

Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire → result → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire self-linksurface differs ⓘ

this entity surface form: Fall of Tenochtitlan

Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire → hasPart → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire self-linksurface differs ⓘ

this entity surface form: Siege of Tenochtitlan

Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire → hasPart → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire self-linksurface differs ⓘ

this entity surface form: Destruction of Tenochtitlan

Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire → alsoKnownAs → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

this entity surface form: Conquest of Mexico

Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire → precededBy → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

Mesoamerica → endedWith → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

Valley of Mexico → wasSceneOf → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

Hernán Cortés → knownFor → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

this entity surface form: Spanish conquest of Mexico

Hernán Cortés → participantIn → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

Hernán Cortés → notableEvent → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

this entity surface form: Siege of Tenochtitlan (1521)

Viceroyalty of New Spain → predecessor → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

European colonization of the Americas → significantEvent → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

this entity surface form: conquest of the Aztec Empire

La Malinche → roleInEvent → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

The True History of the Conquest of New Spain → mainSubject → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

The True History of the Conquest of New Spain → describesEvent → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

this entity surface form: siege of Tenochtitlan

Moctezuma II → militaryConflict → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

Cartas de Relación by Hernán Cortés → mainSubject → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

subject surface form: Cartas de Relación

this entity surface form: Spanish conquest of Mexico

Cartas de Relación by Hernán Cortés → mainSubject → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

subject surface form: Cartas de Relación

this entity surface form: expedition of Hernán Cortés

Triple Alliance → significantEvent → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

Cuitláhuac → historicalPeriod → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

Cuitláhuac → conflict → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

this entity surface form: Spanish–Aztec War

La Noche Triste → partOf → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

Cuauhtémoc → conflict → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

Pedro de Alvarado → participantIn → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

Bernal Díaz del Castillo → subjectOf → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

Bernal Díaz del Castillo → participantIn → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

this entity surface form: Hernán Cortés expedition to Mexico

Battle of Otumba → conflict → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

Battle of Otumba → partOf → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

Tlaxcala → roleIn → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

Spanish America → notableEvent → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

Captain from Castile → hasTheme → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

Diego Rivera murals → depicts → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

this entity surface form: Spanish conquest of Mexico

Monument to Cuauhtémoc → topic → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

Juana de Zúñiga → spouseNotableFor → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

Captain General of New Spain → significantEvent → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz → coordinateRoleWith → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

this entity surface form: Cortés expedition to Mexico

Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca → associatedWithEvent → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

Martín Cortés (son with Malintzin) → historicalContext → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

Catalina Suárez Marcaida → preceded → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

this entity surface form: Hernán Cortés’s conquest of the Aztec Empire

Catalina Cortés → associatedWith → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

Luis Cortés → associatedWith → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

Quiahuiztlán → associatedWith → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

this entity surface form: Spanish conquest of Mexico

Codex Mendoza → relatedTo → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

Postclassic period of Mesoamerica → endCause → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

Eagle warriors → endOfOrder → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

Malinalli → associatedWith → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

massacre at Cholula → partOf → Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire ⓘ

subject surface form: Massacre at Cholula

All labels observed (16)

How this entity was disambiguated Show

Statements (64)

How these facts were elicited Show

Referenced by (85)

How this entity was disambiguated

How these facts were elicited