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The Cacique Who Defied Cortés: Cuauhtémoc's Final Stand
Season 2 Episode 99
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the final months of the Aztec Empire through the eyes of its last ruler, Cuauhtémoc. They trace his rise to p…
10 hours ago
The Cempoala Alliance: Totonac Strategy Against the Aztec Empire
Season 2 Episode 98
In the shadow of Moctezuma's tribute demands, the Totonac city of Cempoala—also known as the Place of Many Waters—chose a risky alliance with Hernán …
22 hours ago
The Lost Fleet of Cortés: Ships That Sank in Lake Texcoco
Season 2 Episode 97
In 1521, Hernán Cortés ordered the construction of thirteen brigantines — shallow-draft warships — to break the Aztec hold on Tenochtitlan. But two o…
1 day, 10 hours ago
The Tlaxcalan Alliance: The Backbone of Cortés's Conquest
Season 2 Episode 96
In this episode, we dive deep into the military and political alliance between Hernán Cortés and the Tlaxcalan confederation — arguably the single mo…
1 day, 22 hours ago
The Chichimeca War: Mexico's Unconquered North
Season 2 Episode 95
After the fall of Tenochtitlan and the Mixtón rebellion, the Spanish faced an even more intractable enemy: the Chichimeca of the northern deserts. Un…
2 days, 10 hours ago
The Conquistador Who Burned His Ships
Season 2 Episode 94
In 1519, Hernán Cortés ordered his own ships scuttled off the coast of Veracruz — a dramatic act that became legend. But did he really burn them? Thi…
2 days, 22 hours ago
The Mixton War: Mexico's Bloodiest Revolt
Season 2 Episode 93
In 1540, a coalition of Indigenous peoples in western Mexico rose up against Spanish rule in a conflict that would become known as the Mixtón War. Le…
3 days, 9 hours ago
The Siege of Tenochtitlan Begins: Cortés's First Assault
Season 2 Episode 92
In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into the opening days of the siege of Tenochtitlan in May 1521. They examine Cortés's strategy of cutting off th…
4 days, 6 hours ago
The Totonac: Cortés's First Allies on the Gulf Coast
Season 2 Episode 91
When Hernán Cortés landed on the Mexican Gulf Coast in 1519, he found a people simmering with resentment against the Aztec Empire: the Totonac. Based…
4 days, 22 hours ago
Cortés and the Tribute System: How Indigenous Wealth Funded Conquest
Season 2 Episode 90
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how the Spanish conquest of Mesoamerica was financed not by Spanish gold but by Indigenous tribute networks. …
5 days, 9 hours ago