The Siege of Tenochtitlan's Secret Weapon: Smallpox and Epidemics in the Conquest

The Siege of Tenochtitlan's Secret Weapon: Smallpox and Epidemics in the Conquest

When Hernán Cortés and his Indigenous allies besieged Tenochtitlan in 1521, they had a secret ally they barely understood: smallpox. This episode explores the role of epidemic disease in the fall of the Aztec Empire, focusing on the 1520 smallpox outbreak that killed Moctezuma's successor Cuitláhuac and devastated the city's defenders. We discuss the arrival of smallpox with the Pánfilo de Narváez expedition, the cocoliztli epidemics that followed, and how disease may have killed more people than swords and arquebuses combined. Drawing on the Florentine Codex and modern paleopathological research, we examine how native populations with no prior exposure suffered mortality rates as high as 50%, while the Spanish carried partial immunity. The conversation also touches on the biological exchange of the Columbian Exchange and the ethical questions it raises. A sobering look at how microbes shaped the conquest as much as men did. #Smallpox #Cocoliztli #Tenochtitlan #HernanCortes #Cuauhtemoc #Cuitlahuac #FlorentineCodex #Pandemic #Mesoamerica #AztecEmpire #ColumbianExchange #Epidemic #BernalDiaz #Narvaez #History #FexingoHistory #NewSpain #Conquistadors Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Noche Triste: Cortés's Desperate Escape from Tenochtitlan

On the night of June 30, 1520, Hernán Cortés and his men attempted a desperate escape from Tenochtitlan, only to be ambushed on a causeway by Aztec warriors. This episode dives into the Noche Triste—the 'Sad Night'—when hundreds of Spanish soldiers and thousands of Tlaxcalan allies perished in the canals of Lake Texcoco. We explore the tactical errors, the role of the Aztec emperor Cuitláhuac, the legendary 'Arbol de la Noche Triste' in Tacuba, and how Cortés regrouped after the disaster. We contrast Spanish accounts with indigenous codices, including the Florentine Codex and the Lienzo de Tlaxcala, and discuss the psychological impact on both sides. From the loss of gold to the desperate retreat, this is the turning point that nearly ended the conquest before it began. #NocheTriste #Cortés #Tenochtitlan #Aztecs #Cuitláhuac #Conquistadors #FlorentineCodex #LienzodeTlaxcala #Tacuba #LakeTexcoco #Mesoamerica #Mexica #Tlaxcala #June1520 #History #FexingoHistory #Podcast #NewSpain Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Mixtec Codices: Painted Histories of Conquest and Survival

Before the Spanish arrival, the Mixtec people of Oaxaca recorded their genealogies, conquests, and myths in beautiful screenfold books made from deer hide. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the surviving codices — especially the Codex Zouche-Nuttall, Codex Vindobonensis, and Codex Bodley — and what they reveal about Mixtec politics, religion, and resistance to Aztec expansion. They discuss the Ñuu Dzaui (Mixtec) lords, the great warrior-king Eight Deer Jaguar Claw, his alliance with Toltec refugees, and his dramatic death. The conversation also covers how friars and collectors preserved these manuscripts after the conquest, and how modern scholars decipher them. A fascinating look at one of the few pre-Columbian writing systems we can still read. #Mixtec #Codices #CodexZoucheNuttall #EightDeer #ÑuuDzaui #Oaxaca #PreColumbian #Mesoamerica #CodexVindobonensis #CodexBodley #Tilantongo #Teozacualco #Toltec #DeerHide #Screenfold #IndigenousHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Zapotecs: Monte Albán and the Cloud People

Long before the Mexica built Tenochtitlan, the Zapotecs ruled the Oaxaca highlands from their mountaintop capital of Monte Albán. Lucas and Luna explore this earlier civilization: its origins in the San José Mogote settlement, the rise of Monte Albán around 500 BCE, and its famous 'Danzantes' carvings—stone reliefs of captured enemies that may represent the earliest writing in Mesoamerica. They discuss the Zapotec writing and calendar system, the role of the rain god Cocijo, and the city's eventual decline after 800 CE. They also touch on the post-classic Zapotec state centered at Mitla and the diplomatic manuevering between the Zapotecs and the Mixtecs. The conversation highlights how the Zapotecs were contemporaries of Teotihuacan and the Maya, not just precursors to the Aztecs, and how their legacy endured through the colonial period and into modern Oaxaca. #Zapotec #MonteAlbán #Oaxaca #Mesoamerica #Danzantes #Cocijo #SanJoséMogote #Mitla #Mixtec #Teotihuacan #Maya #PreColumbian #Lienzo de Guevea #Alfonso Caso #AncientWriting #History #FexingoHistory #TheConquistadors Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Siege of Tenochtitlan: Cortés's 93-Day War of Attrition

In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into the brutal 93-day siege of Tenochtitlan in 1521, exploring the key military strategies, the role of indigenous allies like the Tlaxcalans, the devastating impact of disease and famine, and the final assault on the city. They discuss the leadership of Cuauhtémoc, the use of brigantines on Lake Texcoco, and the harrowing account of Bernal Díaz del Castillo. The conversation also touches on the controversial question of just war and the legacy of Cortés's victory. #Tenochtitlan #SiegeofTenochtitlan #Cuauhtemoc #HernanCortes #Tlaxcala #BernalDiazDelCastillo #Aztecs #Mexica #Conquistadors #FlorentineCodex #LakeTexcoco #Brigantines #Mesoamerica #SpanishConquest #1521 #History #FexingoHistory #Warfare Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]