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Cempoala: The Totonac City That Betrayed the Aztecs
Season 2
Episode 54
Published 3 weeks, 3 days ago
Description
Long before Cortés marched on Tenochtitlan, he made a crucial stop in the Totonac city of Cempoala. This episode explores how the luxurious, flower-filled city became the first major indigenous ally of the Spanish, how the Totonac caciques used the foreigners to rebel against Aztec tribute, and how the alliance shaped the conquest. We examine the political calculations, the role of the fat cacique, and the centuries of tension between the Totonac and the Triple Alliance.