S4E165 - The Siege of Tenochtitlan: How Cortés Beat 300,000

In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into the final siege of Tenochtitlan in 1521—the brutal, year-long campaign that ended the Aztec Empire. Lucas unpacks Cortés's tactical brilliance: building a fleet of 13 brigantines on Lake Texcoco, cutting off causeways, and orchestrating a water blockade that starved the city. He explains how thousands of Tlaxcalan and Texcocan allies provided the bulk of the fighting force, and how smallpox—introduced by a Spanish slave—devastated the Mexica population. The conversation covers key moments like the fall of Tlatelolco's marketplace, the capture of Cuauhtémoc, and the relentless day-by-day advance that left Ten...