Battle of Otumba

Battle of Otumba
Part of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire

The Battle of Otumba
Date7 July 1520 (Julian calendar date)
Location
The plain of Otumba, modern-day Mexico
Result Spanish-Tlaxcalan victory[1]
Belligerents
Spanish Empire
Confederacy of Tlaxcala		 Aztec Triple Alliance
Commanders and leaders
Hernán Cortés Matlatzincatl †[2]
Strength

Spanish Army:

  • 600 soldiers
  • 13 mounted infantry
  • 12 crossbowmen
  • 7 arquebusiers
  • No artillery

Tlaxcala Army:

10,000–20,000 Aztec warriors
Casualties and losses
60–70 Spanish dead, unknown Tlaxcalan losses Unknown

The Battle of Otumba was fought between the Aztec and allied forces led by the Cihuacoatl Matlatzincátzin and those of Hernán Cortés made up of the Spanish conquerors and Tlaxcalan allies. It took place on July 7, 1520, in Temalcatitlán, a plain near Otumba during the development of the Conquest of the Aztec Empire. The result of the battle was a victory for the Spanish, which allowed Cortés to reorganize his army, having suffered casualties a few days before in the episode known as La Noche Triste. A year later, by reinforcing his army with new men and supplies, and creating alliances with the indigenous peoples who had been subjugated by the Aztec, Cortés managed to besiege and conquer Tenochtitlan.

  1. ^ Ancient life in Mexico and Central America. Biblo & Tannen Publishers. 1968. p. 312. ISBN 978-0-8196-0205-3.
  2. ^ Factional Competition and Political Development in the New World. Cambridge University Press. 1994. p. 109. ISBN 0-521-38400-1.
  3. ^ Díaz del Castillo, chapter CXXVIII