1521    Tenochtitlán (present day Mexico City) falls to conquistador Hernán Cortés.

1531    The Virgin of Guadalupe first appears to Juan Diego at Tepeyac, Mexico City.

1847    Mexican-American War: Six teenage military cadets known as Niños Héroes die defending Chapultepec Castle in the Battle of Chapultepec. American General Winfield Scott captures Mexico City in the Mexican-American War.

1847    Mexican-American War: Winfield Scott captures Mexico City.

1861    Porfirio Díaz conquers Mexico City.

1863    During the French intervention in Mexico, Mexico City is captured by French troops.

1940    In Mexico City exiled Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky is fatally wounded with an ice axe by Ramon Mercader. He dies the next day.

1944    Fifty are hurt in rioting in front of the presidential palace in Mexico City.

1968    A peaceful student demonstration in Mexico City culminates in the Tlatelolco massacre.

1968    Jim Hines of the United States of America becomes the first man ever to break the so-called "ten-second barrier" in the 100-meter sprint in the Summer Olympic Games held in Mexico City with a time of 9.95 seconds. Hines remained the only athlete to sprint 100 meters in under 10.0 seconds until the year 1977.

1984    San Juanico Disaster: A series of explosions at the PEMEX petroleum storage facility at San Juan Ixhuatepec in Mexico City starts a major fire and kills about 500 people.

1985    A strong earthquake kills thousands and destroys about 400 buildings in Mexico City.

1986    A Mexicana Boeing 727 en route to Puerto Vallarta erupts in flames and crashes in the mountains northwest of Mexico City, killing 166.

1992    El Salvador officials and rebel leaders sign the Chapultepec Peace Accords in Mexico City ending the 12-year Salvadoran civil war that claimed at least 75,000.