Cortés and the Totonac: First Alliance of the Conquest

The Canoes of Lake Texcoco: Aztec Naval Warfare Against Cortés

When Hernán Cortés laid siege to Tenochtitlan in 1521, he faced an unexpected threat on water: the Aztec war canoe fleet. This episode dives into the Battle of the Causeways, where thousands of acalli—dugout canoes crewed by elite warriors—harassed Spanish brigantines and nearly turned the tide. We explore how the Mexica adapted their naval tactics, using feigned retreats to lure enemies into kill zones, and how Cortés finally countered by launching his own shipbuilding campaign with Tlaxcalan labor. The conversation also touches on the role of Lake Texcoco as a strategic artery, the construction of the 13 brigantines under Martín López, and the little-known figure of the Aztec fleet commander who orchestrated the canoe attacks. A fresh angle on the conquest, focusing on the waterborne warfare that has often been overshadowed by land battles. #AztecWarCanoes #LakeTexcoco #BattleOfTheCauseways #TenochtitlanSiege #HernanCortes #Mexica #Brigantines #MartinLopez #Acalli #Tlaxcalans #Mesoamerica #NavalWarfare #ConquestOfMexico #AztecEmpire #1521 #CanoeWarfare #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Tlaxcalan Alliance That Toppled the Aztecs

We've talked a lot about Cortés and his Spanish army, but the real muscle behind the conquest of Mexico came from tens of thousands of Indigenous allies — most crucially, the Tlaxcalans. In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into the story of the Tlaxcalan republic, a fiercely independent state that the Aztecs had besieged for generations without ever conquering. When Cortés stumbled into their territory in 1519, after a bloody battle, the Tlaxcalans made a calculated decision: ally with these strange newcomers against their hereditary enemy. Lucas traces how the old Tlaxcalan general Xicotencatl the Elder argued for alliance, while his son Xicotencatl the Younger resisted to the end. We explore the political calculus, the religious tolerance demanded by the Tlaxcalans, and the tens of thousands of Tlaxcalan warriors who fought alongside Cortés, built the brigantines, and died on the causeways of Tenochtitlan. We also touch on the bitter aftermath: how the Tlaxcalans were rewarded with privileges but ultimately subjugated by the Spanish. This is the story of the alliance that made the conquest possible — from the first battle at Tecóac to the final siege. #Tlaxcala #Xicotencatl #Cortés #AztecEmpire #Mexica #Tenochtitlan #Tecóac #TlaxcalanAlliance #Malintzin #BernalDíaz #FlorentineCodex #LienzoDeTlaxcala #ConquestOfMexico #Mesoamerica #IndigenousAllies #History #FexingoHistory #Podcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Enslaved Africans Who Fought in Cortés's Army

When we talk about the conquest of the Aztec Empire, we usually focus on Cortés, his Spanish soldiers, and his Indigenous allies like the Tlaxcalans. But there's a group that's almost invisible in the popular story: the enslaved Africans who marched with Cortés from Cuba, fought in battles, and later shaped colonial Mexico. In this episode, we follow figures like Juan Garrido, a West African conquistador who was the first to plant wheat in the Americas, and the mysterious 'Black conquistador' Estebanico, who scouted for Cortés in Michoacán. We explore how they came to be in Spain's New World ventures, why they fought, and what life was like for them after the war. Drawing on records from the Archivo General de Indias and accounts by Bernal Díaz del Castillo, we confront the uncomfortable fact that enslaved and free people of African descent were both victims and agents of empire. We also look at the rebellion of 1537 in Mexico City, where enslaved Africans plotted to overthrow Spanish rule, and the legacy of Afro-Mexicans in modern Mexican identity. It's a story that forces us to rethink who really conquered Mexico. #AfroMexicanHistory #JuanGarrido #Estebanico #Cortés #ConquestOfMexico #EnslavedAfricans #BlackConquistadors #NewSpain #ArchivoGeneralDeIndias #BernalDíaz #Michoacán #Cuba #Tlaxcalans #MexicoCity #1537Rebellion #History #FexingoHistory #Mesoamerica Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Malintzin: The Translator Who Made the Conquest Possible

This episode tells the story of Malintzin — also known to history as La Malinche, Doña Marina, and Malinalli — the Nahua woman who became Hernán Cortés's translator, strategist, and diplomatic mastermind during the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. We explore her early life as the daughter of a nobleman sold into slavery, her linguistic gifts that enabled her to speak both Nahuatl and Maya, and her pivotal role in forming the alliance with Tlaxcala, the massacre at Cholula, and the negotiations with Moctezuma. We examine how Malintzin navigated a world of violence and shifting loyalties, and why she remains one of the most controversial figures in Mexican history — seen by some as a traitor and by others as a survivor who made impossible choices. Drawing on the Florentine Codex, Bernal Díaz del Castillo's True History, and recent scholarship by Camilla Townsend, we separate myth from evidence and consider what Malintzin's actions meant for indigenous people then and now. A nuanced look at the woman at the center of the conquest. #Malintzin #LaMalinche #HernánCortés #AztecEmpire #SpanishConquest #Nahuatl #FlorentineCodex #BernalDíazdelCastillo #Tlaxcala #CholulaMassacre #Moctezuma #DoñaMarina #CamillaTownsend #IndigenousHistory #Mesoamerica #MexicanHistory #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Aztec Atlatl: The Spear-Thrower That Defied Cortés

In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna examine the atlatl, the Aztec spear-thrower that proved devastatingly effective against Spanish conquistadors during the conquest of Mexico. Lucas explains how this ancient weapon, capable of piercing steel armor at over 100 meters, became a symbol of indigenous resistance. He discusses its construction from tropical hardwoods, its incorporation of obsidian blades and poison-tipped darts, and how Aztec warriors trained from childhood to master it. The conversation covers key battles where the atlatl turned the tide, including the Noche Triste and the Siege of Tenochtitlan, and explores why it was arguably more dangerous to the Spanish than the feared macuahuitl. Lucas also addresses the weapon's decline after the conquest and its modern legacy in Mesoamerican martial arts. Listeners gain a fresh perspective on the technological and tactical realities behind the fall of the Aztec Empire. #atlatl #AztecWeapon #Mesoamerica #HernanCortes #Tenochtitlan #NocheTriste #Obsidian #PoisonDarts #AztecWarfare #ConquestOfMexico #IndigenousResistance #SiegeOfTenochtitlan #Nahuatl #FlorentineCodex #BernalDiaz #History #FexingoHistory #MilitaryHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]