S5E202 - The Siege of Tenochtitlan's Hidden Fleet: The Brigantines

In 1521, Hernán Cortés faced a seemingly impossible task: conquering Tenochtitlan, an island city defended by a vast lake. His solution was audacious—build a fleet of thirteen shallow-draft brigantines, not in the water, but on the shores of Lake Texcoco, under the noses of the Aztec capital. This episode of The Conquistadors explores the engineering marvel and strategic gamble of these vessels, from the prefabricated parts carried over the mountains by thousands of Tlaxcalan porters to the skilled Spanish shipwright Martín López who oversaw their assembly. We examine how the brigantines transformed the siege, cutting off Te...