What battle followed the Spanish retreat known as La Noche Triste?

The Battle of Otumba followed the Spanish retreat known as La Noche Triste. It was fought on July 7, 1520, near Otumba, Mexico, only days after Hernán Cortés and his battered forces escaped Tenochtitlan.

During La Noche Triste, the Spanish and their Indigenous allies suffered heavy losses while fleeing across the causeways of the Aztec capital. Cortés then attempted to reach the territory of Tlaxcala, but an enormous Aztec army confronted the retreating force on the plain near Otumba. The Spanish were exhausted, hungry, and greatly outnumbered.

According to traditional accounts, Spanish cavalry and a focused attack on the Aztec commander, Cihuacoatl Matlatzincatl, helped decide the battle. After the commander was killed and his standard captured, the Aztec forces withdrew. The victory allowed Cortés and his allies to reach Tlaxcala, regroup, and eventually launch the campaign that led to the fall of Tenochtitlan in 1521. Otumba was therefore a crucial recovery point, not the retreat itself.