S5E206 - The Last Tlatoani: Cuauhtemoc's Final Years

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the overlooked final years of Cuauhtemoc, the last Huey Tlatoani of Tenochtitlan, after the fall of the city in 1521. They trace his captivity under Hernán Cortés, his coerced conversion to Christianity, his role as a puppet ruler in the new colonial order, and his brutal execution in 1525 during Cortés's expedition to Hibueras (modern Honduras). Drawing on the Florentine Codex, Spanish chronicles, and recent scholarship, they examine the tensions between Cuauhtemoc as a symbol of resistance and the realities of his post-conquest life. The conversation also touches on the encomienda sys...