Atlas of Battles

battle, early modern

Battle of Colhuacatonco

Battle of Colhuacatonco was a battle fought on 30 June 1521 in what is now Mexico. It was part of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, which ran from 1519 to 1521. The recorded result: Mexica victory.

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Detail on the 1773 reproduction of the Lienzo de Tlaxcala, a work originally made in the mid 16th century, that depicts the moment the Spanish captain Hernán Cortés, general captain of the Spanish tro
Detail on the 1773 reproduction of the Lienzo de Tlaxcala, a work originally made in the mid 16th century, that depicts the moment the Spanish captain Hernán Cortés, general captain of the Spanish tro. Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought30 June 1521
WhereMexico19.443N, 99.135W
OutcomeMexica victory
BelligerentsMexica Empire: Tenochtitlan; TlatelolcoagainstSpanish Empire; Republic of Tlaxcala
Part ofSpanish conquest of the Aztec Empire1519 to 1521

Where it sits in the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire

Battle of Tlaxcala, 1519Battle of the Pánuco River, 1520Battle of Tetzcoco, 1520Battle of Nautla, 1520Battle of Cempoala, 1520La Noche Triste, 1520Battle of Otumba, 1520Battle of Huaxtepec, 1521Battle of Tacuba, 1521Battle of Xaltocan, 1521Battle of Yecapixtla, 1521Battle of Colhuacatonco, 1521Battle of Loma del Sangremal, 153115191531Battle of Colhuacatonco, 1521
13 placed engagements of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date30 June 1521
PlaceMexico
19.443N, 99.135W
KindBattle, early modern
StrengthThousands of warriors and many war canoes.Over 300 Spanish infantry, 15 or 16 horses, and tens of thousands of indigenous warriors.; 7 brigantines and over 3,000 war canoes.
Casualties and lossesMany killed and wounded.Spanish forces: 40 - 66 captured and later killed.; Several killed in action and many wounded.; 8 horses killed (probably 4 of them captured and later killed).; One brigantine captured.; One or two light artillery pieces lost.; Indigenous allies: 2,000 killed or captured to be later killed.; Hundreds wounded.
Commanders
  • Cuauhtémoc
  • Hernán Cortés
  • Gonzalo de Sandoval
  • Pedro de Alvarado
  • Andrés de Tapia
  • Jorge de Alvarado
Battle of ColhuacatoncoBattle of ColhuacatoncoBattle of TlatelolcoFall of TenochtitlanSiege of Mexico CityBattle of ChapultepecBattle of Molino del ReyFall of TenochtitlanPueblaQuerétaroCuernavacaPachucaPoza Rica de HidalgoZumpangoTaxcoCiudad Altamirano100 km19.443N, 99.135W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 6 times between 1473 and 1867.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1521

Battle of Colhuacatonco is one of 1,470 engagements of the 16th century in the atlas and one of 164 in present-day Mexico.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q112811996, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Colhuacatonco, revision 1370437482, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.