1519 – 1533
Spanish-led expeditions and large Indigenous coalitions captured Tenochtitlan in 1521 and Atahualpa at Cajamarca in 1532, but conquest and resistance continued for decades. Steel weapons, horses, firearms, internal political divisions, Indigenous allies, and epidemic disease all shaped outcomes; small Spanish contingents did not conquer either empire unaided.
Chapter-by-chapter narrative with maps, primary sources, and key events.
Explore battles on a live map with a timeline slider and territory overlays.
Deep-dive into every major engagement — commanders, casualties, significance.
Biographical flip cards with real portraits, facts, and full biography pages.
Trace each figure's full life journey — birth, education, battles, and death — on a live map.
Scroll-driven visualization of casualties — each dot a thousand lives.
Weapons, war machines, and the military innovations that defined how this conflict was fought.
Cause-and-effect chains tracing the war's long shadow on history.
War crimes, massacres, and the darkest chapters of this conflict — documented for history.
Spanish-led expeditions and large Indigenous coalitions captured Tenochtitlan in 1521 and Atahualpa at Cajamarca in 1532, but conquest and resistance continued for decades. Steel weapons, horses, firearms, internal political divisions, Indigenous allies, and epidemic disease all shaped outcomes; small Spanish contingents did not conquer either empire unaided.
The Spanish Conquest of the Americas was fought from 1519 to 1533.
The Spanish Conquest of the Americas was fought between Spanish Conquistadors & Allies and Aztec & Inca Empires.
An estimated 8,061,000 people died in The Spanish Conquest of the Americas, including roughly 61,000 military and 8,000,000 civilian deaths. Figures are scholarly estimates and vary by source.
Major engagements included The Siege of Tenochtitlan, La Noche Triste (The Night of Sorrows), The Battles of Tlaxcala, and Battle of Cajamarca.