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by the Spaniards.
33 Cortés and his men fled Tenochtitlan on the night of July 1, 1520, and went to Tlaxcallan, where they were received in friendship. Many Spaniards were killed in the flight from Tenochtitlan, as were many Aztec nobles, including King Cacama of Tetzcoco, who had been Cortés's prisoner.34 |
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Cortés remained intent on conquering the Aztecs, but given the effectiveness with which the Spaniards had been expelled from Tenochtitlan and the losses they had suffered, a frontal assault was unwise. Instead, the Spaniards began a series of attacks on Aztec tributaries near Tlaxcallan. By adopting this strategy, the Spaniards were guaranteed a refuge: they had allies at their backs, and they could mount assaults on locations too quickly for Tenochtitlan to respond. Notable among these battles was the defeat of the Aztec troops at Tepeyacac.35 The success of this strategy bolstered the Spaniards' reputation as conquerors, but two factors other than military prowess contributed to their victories. First, these battles took place well after the normal Mesoamerican campaign season, when the Aztecs had limited troops available to meet Spanish attacks. Since the Aztecs were the defensive force, the limited availability of men was exacerbated by their having to station troops at or near all of the likely targets, because Tenochtitlan was too distant for reinforcements to be sent in a timely manner. Also, their manpower reserves were too limited to secure every potential target, and demands for agricultural labor prevented them from dispatching a force large enough to mount a direct attack on the Spaniards in Tlaxcallan. Second, as with all new Aztec kings, Cuitlahuah's special priority was establishing his power and credibility with his tributaries. This goal took on added urgency since the Spaniards represented a nucleus around which dissident elements could form alliances. Thus, Cuitlahuah and many of the available troops were doubtless engaged in the immediate demands of imperial consolidation rather than in focusing directly on the Spanish threat. |
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How Cuitlahuah's selection as king was received by the Aztecs' tributaries and how successful he would have been in consolidating the empire is unknown, because he died of smallpox eighty days after his election. Any efforts he made at consolidation were lost. Cuauhtemoc ("He-descends-like-an-eagle") was selected as his successor, and the process of consolidation began once again. |
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Times of succession were typically favorable opportunities for dissatisfied tributaries to rebel, and now there was a double succes- |
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