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The Tarascan Empire: Bronze Age Rival to the Aztecs
Season 3 Episode 141
While the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire is well-known, the story of the Tarascan Empire (also known as the Purépecha) is less familiar but equ…
1 month, 1 week ago
The Mita System: Forced Labor in the Spanish Empire
Season 3 Episode 140
We explore the mita, the forced labor system the Spanish imposed on Andean communities. Originally an Inca practice of rotational public service, the…
1 month, 1 week ago
The Maya Caste War: Indigenous Rebellion in Yucatan
Season 3 Episode 139
Long after the Spanish conquest of Mexico, the Maya of the Yucatán Peninsula rose up in a brutal race war that nearly drove the European-descended po…
1 month, 1 week ago
The Tlaxcalan Exodus: Migration and Settlement in Spanish Texas
Season 3 Episode 138
When the Spanish conquered Tenochtitlan, they did so with tens of thousands of Tlaxcalan allies. But what happened to those allies after the war? Thi…
1 month, 1 week ago
The Siege of Tenochtitlan's Secret Weapon: Smallpox and Epidemics in the Conquest
Season 3 Episode 137
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the devastating role of smallpox and other epidemics during the Spanish conquest of Mexico. They discuss how …
1 month, 1 week ago
Cortés's Horses: Terror Weapons of the Conquest
Season 3 Episode 136
Horses were not just transportation for the Spanish conquistadors — they were psychological weapons that shattered indigenous armies. In this episode…
1 month, 1 week ago
Alvarado's Leap: Myth of the Toboso Massacre
Season 3 Episode 135
In 1522, a year after the fall of Tenochtitlan, Pedro de Alvarado—the brutal conquistador known as Tonatiuh or 'Sun'—led a punitive expedition into t…
1 month, 1 week ago
The Genocide of the Arawaks: Columbus's First Contact
Season 3 Episode 134
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the devastating first encounters between Christopher Columbus and the Taíno people of Hispaniola. They discus…
1 month, 1 week ago
Huexotzinco: The Aztec Subsistence Tribute State
Season 3 Episode 133
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore Huexotzinco, a powerful city-state in the Valley of Puebla that maintained its autonomy through a complex sys…
1 month, 1 week ago
Cempoala's Cacique Gordo: The Totonac Revolt Against Aztec Rule
Season 3 Episode 132
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the pivotal role of Cempoala and its ruler, the Cacique Gordo, in the Spanish conquest of Mexico. They discus…
1 month, 2 weeks ago