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The Lost Conquistador: Juan de Grijalva and the Yucatán
Season 2 Episode 82
Episode 82 of The Conquistadors takes a step back from the familiar Cortés narrative to explore the earlier, often overshadowed expedition of Juan de…
2 months, 1 week ago
Vasco Núñez de Balboa: The First European to See the Pacific
Season 2 Episode 81
Before Cortés and Pizarro, there was Vasco Núñez de Balboa — a stowaway who became governor, crossed the Isthmus of Panama in 1513, and claimed the P…
2 months, 1 week ago
The Longest Siege: Tlatelolco's Last Stand, 1521
Season 2 Episode 80
When Cortés laid siege to Tenochtitlan in 1521, the final stand happened not in the central island city but in its twin, Tlatelolco. This episode foc…
2 months, 1 week ago
The Dogs of War: Cortés's Forgotten Weapon
Season 2 Episode 79
In this episode, we explore the role of war dogs—specifically the alano español and lebrel breeds—in Hernán Cortés's conquest of Mexico. While horses…
2 months, 1 week ago
Cortés's Dogs of War: The Forgotten Weapon of the Conquest
Season 2 Episode 78
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore a chilling and often overlooked aspect of the Spanish conquest of Mesoamerica: the use of war dogs. While ste…
2 months, 1 week ago
The Siege of Tenochtitlan 1521: How Cortés Destroyed an Empire
Season 2 Episode 77
In 1521, Hernán Cortés laid siege to Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital, for 75 days. This episode covers the brutal blockades, the use of brigantines b…
2 months, 1 week ago
The Cempoala Alliance: Totonac Rebellion and Cortés's First Indigenous Allies
Season 2 Episode 76
In 1519, Hernán Cortés made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Mexico and quickly forged an alliance with the Totonac people of Cempoala, a wealthy city-s…
2 months, 1 week ago
The Requerimiento: Reading a Conquest Decree
Season 2 Episode 75
In 1513, Spanish officials drafted the Requerimiento, a legal document read to indigenous peoples before any attack. Written in Spanish and Latin, it…
2 months, 1 week ago
Cazonci Tangáxuan II: The Last Purépecha Emperor
Season 2 Episode 74
In 1530, the Purépecha Empire of Michoacán stood as the second-largest state in Mesoamerica, a rival that had successfully resisted the Aztec Triple …
2 months, 2 weeks ago
The Tlaxcalan Alliance: Indigenous Allies Who Toppled an Empire
Season 2 Episode 73
When Hernán Cortés landed in Mexico in 1519, he was vastly outnumbered by the Aztec warriors of Tenochtitlan. But he didn't conquer alone. This episo…
2 months, 2 weeks ago