Long ago, Hernando Cortes of Spain decided to capture the Aztec Indian city of Tenochtitlán in what is now Mexico. The Aztec leader, Montezuma II, thought Cortes was an Aztec god named Quetzalcoatl. Montezuma welcomed Cortes and army into the city with gifts of gold. The Aztec had never seen guns and horses. And Cortes had never seen anything like Tenochtitlán with its palaces, pyramids, and floating gardens. He wrote to his king that it was the most beautiful city in the world.
The Aztec became angry with both Cortes and Montezuma. One night they killed many of Cortes out their city. It is said that after the battle, Cortes sat under a tree and wept. The night is remembered as “La Noche Triste”, which means “The Sad Night.”
And today in a place called Tacuba, near Mexico City, you can still see the Tree of La Noche Triste– the tree Cortes sat under.
After the battle of La Noche Triste, Cortes came back and conquered the city of Tenochtitlán— the city we call Mexico City.
Tags: Cortes, La Noche Triste, Tree of sad night
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