The Spanish victory at Otumba in 1520 allowed Cortés to regroup after the disastrous La Noche Triste and ultimately resume the conquest of the Aztec Empire.
Key Facts
- Date
- July 7, 1520
- Location
- Temalcatitlán plain, near Otumba
- Conflict context
- Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire
- Preceding event
- La Noche Triste (heavy Spanish losses)
- Outcome
- Spanish and Tlaxcalan victory
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the catastrophic losses suffered during La Noche Triste, Hernán Cortés and his diminished Spanish and Tlaxcalan forces were retreating from Tenochtitlan. Mexica forces under Cihuacoatl Matlatzincátzin pursued them to the plain of Temalcatitlán near Otumba, seeking to destroy the weakened Spanish army before it could recover.
On July 7, 1520, Mexica and allied warriors confronted Cortés's combined force of Spanish conquistadors and Tlaxcalan allies on the plain near Otumba. Despite being outnumbered and exhausted, the Spanish and their allies managed to repel the Mexica assault, achieving a decisive defensive victory that preserved what remained of the expedition.
The victory at Otumba allowed Cortés to safely reorganize his army. Over the following year he recruited additional men, secured fresh supplies, and formalized an alliance with the Tlaxcala Confederacy. These reconstituted forces returned to besiege Tenochtitlan, ultimately completing the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire in 1521.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Hernán Cortés.
Side B
1 belligerent
Cihuacoatl Matlatzincátzin.