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This was done to the captured Spaniards during the battle for Tenochtitlan (see fig. 32). Their hands and feet were cut off and their faces were skinned and sent, with the horses' heads, to enemy cities.
51 More than simple show or religious devotion, these acts were calculated to intimidate their enemies, reinforce Aztec military prowess, and, in this case, show Spanish vulnerabilities. |
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Despite occasional reversals, the war was going in the Spaniards' favor, largely because of the timing of the assault and their strategically superior position. The war had disrupted the planting of the previous season, and battles had been actively waged in the basin of Mexico since early January. Both factors affected the foodstuffs available to Tenochtitlan, and reserves were dangerously low because the fighting had freed many towns on which Tenochtitlan was dependent. Compounding these difficulties, the Spaniards cut off all additional food supplies entering Tenochtitlan via the causeways, and they built thirteen ships to intercept supplies shipped into the city by canoe.52 Moreover, Tenochtitlan's freshwater supply was severed on May 26, when the Spaniards destroyed the aqueduct bringing water into the city from Chapoltepec.53 |
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As the battle swung in favor of the Spaniards, many of their Indian allies returned to help them once again, on July 15, notably, the warriors from Tetzcoco.54 The Aztecs' situation worsened, and they sought aid from the Matlatzincas to the west beyond Spanish control. However, the Spaniards intercepted the Matlatzinca army and forced it away from the basin of Mexico.55 The Matlatzincas then turned south and attacked Cuauhnahuac, which requested assistance from Cortés. Although sending Spanish troops to aid them would seriously weaken their forces in the siege of Tenochtitlan, failing to do so would undermine their alliances with other cities. Accordingly, Cortés sent the troops and still continued to hold his own in the siege.56 |
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Eventually, the combined pressure of enemy forces, the gradual destruction of Tenochtitlan, the starvation of the city's populace, and the smallpox epidemic recently introduced into the capital led to the final defeat. On August 13, 1521, after three months of combat, King Cuauhtemoc was captured as he tried to flee the city by canoe.57 |
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