massacre at Tóxcatl in Tenochtitlan

E121005

The massacre at Tóxcatl in Tenochtitlan was a brutal 1520 attack by Spanish conquistadors and their allies on unarmed Aztec nobles and priests during a religious festival, which ignited a major uprising against the Spanish in the Aztec capital.

All labels observed (6)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf historical event
massacre
war crime
alsoKnownAs massacre at Tóxcatl in Tenochtitlan
surface form: Tóxcatl massacre

massacre in the Great Temple
massacre at Tóxcatl in Tenochtitlan
surface form: massacre of the Templo Mayor

massacre at Tóxcatl in Tenochtitlan
surface form: matanza del Templo Mayor
approximateCasualties hundreds of Aztec nobles and priests killed
causeOf Aztec rebellion against Spanish occupation
uprising in Tenochtitlan against the Spanish
chronologicalRelation massacre at Tóxcatl in Tenochtitlan self-linksurface differs
surface form: occurred before La Noche Triste

occurred during absence of Hernán Cortés from Tenochtitlan
commander Pedro de Alvarado
commanderSide Spanish forces in Tenochtitlan
context Spanish occupation of Tenochtitlan in 1519–1520
countryAtTime Aztec Empire
culturalSignificance symbol of Spanish brutality in Mesoamerican conquest
turning point in Aztec–Spanish relations
date May 1520
historicalSource Bernal Díaz del Castillo
Florentine Codex
Bernardino de Sahagún
surface form: Fray Bernardino de Sahagún
location Templo Mayor
Tenochtitlan
Valley of Mexico
mainBelligerent Spanish conquistadors
Tlaxcalans
surface form: Tlaxcalan allies of the Spanish
method surprise attack with swords and lances
motivationAscribedByIndigenousSources Spanish greed for gold and desire to eliminate Aztec nobility
motivationAscribedBySpaniards fear of Aztec attack during the festival
partOf Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire
perpetrator Spanish conquistadors
surface form: Spanish soldiers under Pedro de Alvarado

Tlaxcalans
surface form: Tlaxcalan warriors allied to the Spanish
presentDayLocation Mexico City
relatedTo Hernán Cortés
Moctezuma II
religiousContext Tóxcatl festival
festival of Tezcatlipoca
result breakdown of relations between Aztecs and Spaniards
precursor to La Noche Triste
siege of the Spanish quarters in Tenochtitlan
target unarmed participants in a religious ceremony
victim Aztec nobles
Aztec priesthood
surface form: Aztec priests

unarmed Aztec celebrants
year 1520

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (6)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Pedro de Alvarado notableWork massacre at Tóxcatl in Tenochtitlan
massacre at Tóxcatl in Tenochtitlan alsoKnownAs massacre at Tóxcatl in Tenochtitlan
this entity surface form: Tóxcatl massacre
massacre at Tóxcatl in Tenochtitlan alsoKnownAs massacre at Tóxcatl in Tenochtitlan
this entity surface form: massacre of the Templo Mayor
massacre at Tóxcatl in Tenochtitlan alsoKnownAs massacre at Tóxcatl in Tenochtitlan
this entity surface form: matanza del Templo Mayor
massacre at Tóxcatl in Tenochtitlan chronologicalRelation massacre at Tóxcatl in Tenochtitlan self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: occurred before La Noche Triste
Jean Charlot notableWork massacre at Tóxcatl in Tenochtitlan
this entity surface form: The Massacre in the Main Temple (Massacre in the Templo Mayor)