Episode Details
Back to Episodes
The Tarascan Empire: Purépecha Resistance to the Aztecs and Spanish
Season 2
Episode 64
Published 2 weeks, 4 days ago
Description
While the Aztec Empire fell to Cortés in 1521, the Tarascans of Michoacán held out for decades. This episode explores how the Purépecha people built a centralized state that rivaled Tenochtitlan, resisted Aztec expansion, and then faced the Spanish under the brutal Nuño de Guzmán. We trace the rise of the cazonci rulers, the unique yácata pyramids of Tzintzuntzan, and the final rebellion of Tangáxuan II. Discover why the Tarascans were among the last indigenous powers to fall in Mesoamerica.