The Conquistadors: Exploration, Greed, and Destruction — Fexingo History

While the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs dominates the story, another powerful empire held sway in western Mexico: the Purépecha (Tarascan) state. This episode explores how the Tarascans resisted Aztec expansion for decades, built a centralized state from their capital Tzintzuntzan, and developed advanced copper and bronze metallurgy. When the Spanish arrived, the cazonci Tangáxuan II initially submitted to Cortés, but brutal treatment under Nuño de Guzmán sparked a fierce uprising. We uncover the culture, military, and tragic end of Mesoamerica's second great empire, and why their story is often overlooked. #Tarascan #Purép...

In 1540, a massive indigenous uprising erupted in Nueva Galicia, led by a Caxcan leader named Tenamaxtli. This episode explores the Mixtón War—a desperate rebellion against the brutal encomienda system imposed by Nuño de Guzmán. We trace the causes from Guzmán's slaving raids to the spark at Nochistlán, the siege that drew Pedro de Alvarado to his death, and Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza's final campaign. Drawing on indigenous accounts and Spanish records, we examine how this war shaped colonial policy and hardened the caste system. A story of resistance, betrayal, and the high cost of empi...

In 1520, as Hernán Cortés and his allies fought to take Tenochtitlan, a far deadlier enemy arrived without a single sword drawn: smallpox. This episode explores how the cocoliztli—the 'great sickness'—swept through Mesoamerica, killing an estimated one-third of the population in just years. We trace the outbreak from the arrival of a enslaved African from the Narváez expedition to the death of the Aztec emperor Cuitláhuac. Drawing on the Florentine Codex and other indigenous accounts, we discuss the horrific symptoms, the psychological devastation, and how disease became an unintentional but decisive ally for the Spanish...

In 1550, at the Colegio de San Gregorio in Valladolid, Spain, two men clashed over the moral and legal status of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, a Dominican friar and former encomendero, argued that the Indians were rational beings fully capable of self-governance. On the other side, Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda, a humanist scholar, championed the Aristotelian concept of 'natural slavery' to justify conquest and forced conversion. The debate, convened by Emperor Charles V, produced no clear verdict but shaped Spanish colonial policy for decades. This episode examines the arguments, the context, and...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the little-known Huastec rebellion of 1523-1524, a violent uprising against Spanish rule in the Pánuco region of northeastern Mexico. They discuss how Cortés, fresh from the fall of Tenochtitlan, faced a coordinated resistance from the Huastec people, who had initially allied with the Spanish but turned against them due to brutal encomienda policies and forced labor. The conversation delves into the key figure of Nuño de Guzmán, the ruthless conquistador whose savage suppression of the rebellion—including mass executions and the enslavement of thousands—set a precedent for later co...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Noche Triste — the night of June 30, 1520, when Hernán Cortés and his forces fled Tenochtitlan under a hail of Aztec arrows and stones. They discuss the events that led to the Spanish retreat: the Toxcatl massacre ordered by Pedro de Alvarado, the death of Moctezuma, and the desperate escape across the Tacuba causeway. Lucas explains how the Tlaxcalan allies played a crucial role, how Cortés regrouped at Otumba, and why the Aztecs failed to finish him off. The conversation touches on key figures like Cuauhtémoc, the young emperor who ra...

When we picture the Spanish conquest of Mexico, we tend to imagine armored Europeans and their Indigenous allies. But among Cortés's small army were men whose stories have been almost entirely erased: African conquistadors, both free and enslaved, who fought, built, and died alongside the Spaniards. This episode follows figures like Juan Garrido, a free black conquistador who crossed the Atlantic, participated in the siege of Tenochtitlan, and later became the first known wheat farmer in New Spain. We also examine Estebanico, an enslaved Moroccan who survived the disastrous Narváez expedition and became one of the first Af...

In 1562, in the town of Maní on the Yucatán Peninsula, Spanish Franciscan friar Diego de Landa ordered the destruction of thousands of Maya codices — bark-paper books containing centuries of knowledge about astronomy, ritual, history, and medicine. Only four authenticated Maya codices survive today. This episode explores who Landa was, why he burned the books, and the paradox of his legacy: the same man who erased the Maya literary tradition also wrote the single most detailed account of Maya culture and religion, the Relación de las Cosas de Yucatán, without which much of what we know about the an...

This episode examines the role of war dogs—specifically Spanish mastiffs and wolfhounds—in the conquest of Mesoamerica. Often overlooked in favor of guns and horses, these animals were deliberately used as weapons of terror. We explore their training, appearance in indigenous codices like the Florentine Codex and Lienzo de Tlaxcala, and their legal status under Spanish law. Key figures include Pedro de Alvarado, whose dog became legendary, and the indigenous perception of these beasts as supernatural. The episode also touches on the broader use of dogs in colonial expansion, from Columbus to the encomienda system. #Conquistadors #WarD...

We all know Cortés conquered the Aztecs with just a few hundred Spaniards — or did he? In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the single most decisive factor in the fall of Tenochtitlan: the massive Indigenous alliance that fought alongside the conquistadors. Centered on Tlaxcala, the small republic that defied the Aztec Empire for decades, we trace how Cortés turned former enemies into the backbone of his army. Lucas walks us through a key battlefield in the Tlaxcalan border wars — the Otumba plains, July 1520 — where the Spanish nearly died until the Tlaxcalan cavalry turned the tide. We discuss...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the life and legacy of Malintzin, also known as Malinche or Doña Marina, the Indigenous interpreter and advisor who played a pivotal role in Hernán Cortés's conquest of the Aztec Empire. They move beyond the simplified label of 'traitor' to examine her as a Nahua woman from a noble family, sold into slavery, who leveraged her multilingual skills to survive and wield influence. The conversation delves into her early life in the borderlands between the Aztec and Maya worlds, her linguistic abilities in Nahuatl, Maya, and later Spanish, and her...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the pivotal alliance between Hernán Cortés and the Totonac people of Cempoala, the first major indigenous group to side with the Spanish against the Aztec Empire. We trace the Totonac's motives: resentment of Aztec tribute demands, a strategic gamble to free themselves from Moctezuma's grip. Through firsthand accounts from Bernal Díaz del Castillo and the Lienzo de Tlaxcala, we examine the dramatic meeting between Cortés and the Cacique Gordo, the Totonac decision to imprison Aztec tribute collectors, and the battle of Cempoala that cemented the alliance. We also disc...

In October 1519, just months after landing in Mexico, Hernán Cortés and his Tlaxcalan allies slaughtered thousands of unarmed nobles in the sacred city of Cholula. This episode unpacks what happened, why, and whether it was a preemptive strike or a calculated act of terror. We explore the competing accounts from Bernal Díaz del Castillo, the Florentine Codex, and indigenous sources; the role of Malintzin in the alleged conspiracy; and the lasting image of Cholula as a warning to Mesoamerican cities. We also consider Cholula's own political rivalries with Tlaxcala and the Aztecs, and how the massacre res...

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...

While the Tlaxcalans are famous as Cortés's primary indigenous allies, another crucial alliance was forged with the Quauhquecholteca of central Mexico. This episode follows the story of the Quauhquechollan fortress, a hilltop stronghold near modern-day Puebla, whose people suffered under Aztec domination and chose to side with the Spanish. We examine the Quauhquechollan Map, a pictorial manuscript that documents their participation in the conquest of Guatemala, led by Jorge de Alvarado. Lucas and Luna discuss how this alliance shaped the campaign, the motivations of the Quauhquecholteca, and the legacy of indigenous collaboration that extended far beyond the fall o...

Before the Tlaxcalans, before Malintzin, Hernán Cortés made his first critical alliance with the Totonac people of Cempoala. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how a coastal city-state with 20,000 households became the linchpin of Cortés's strategy against the Aztec Empire. Meet the Cacique Gordo, the rotund leader who defied Moctezuma's tribute collectors in 1519, and learn how the Totonac provided Cortés with gold, porters, and crucial intelligence. We examine the political calculus behind indigenous collaboration, the role of the quauhtlatoani or 'eagle ruler' system, and the tragic irony that Cempoala's people would later suffer under the...

In 1598, Juan de Oñate led a Spanish expedition of 500 men, women, and children into the Pueblo world of New Mexico, aiming to establish a permanent colony. This episode examines the entrada itself: the brutal journey across the Chihuahuan Desert, the initial encounters with Pueblo leaders at Acoma and other villages, and the violent crackdown that followed the Acoma Massacre of 1599. We look at the complex motives of Oñate, a wealthy Zacatecan mining heir seeking glory and a governorship, and the role of Tlaxcalan allies who accompanied him. The episode also covers the first Spanish settlement at San Ju...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the final siege of Tenochtitlan in 1521, a brutal 75-day campaign that ended the Aztec Empire. They walk through Cortés's strategy of cutting off the city's causeways and water supply, the role of Tlaxcalan allies and brigantines, and the devastating smallpox outbreak that swept through the city. The conversation highlights key figures like Cuauhtémoc, the last huey tlatoani, and the relentless fighting on Lake Texcoco. Lucas explains how the Spanish used cannons and cavalry while the Mexica defended from rooftops and canals, and how the city's fall was not a single ba...

Before the Spanish arrived, the Mexica (Aztecs) fought a very different kind of war: the xochiyaoyotl, or Flower War. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the ritualized battles between the Triple Alliance and their neighbors, especially Tlaxcala and Huexotzinco. Why did warriors fight for prisoners instead of territory? How did the flower war system actually strengthen the Aztec empire—and ultimately contribute to its downfall? Lucas unpacks the religious underpinnings, the tlacaxipehualiztli ceremony, the role of the jaguar and eagle warrior orders, and how the flower war shaped the conquest. Drawing on the Florentine Codex, the Codex Mendoza, an...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how the encomienda system actually functioned on the ground in early colonial Mesoamerica. They move beyond the legal decrees and the Valladolid debate to focus on daily life under encomienda lords — the tribute demands, the labor obligations, and the simmering resistance. Specific figures include the encomendero of Yanhuitlán, the Nahua lord don Domingo de San Antón Muñón Chimalpahin, and the Dominican friar Francisco de Burgoa, who documented the Oaxacan encomiendas. The conversation touches on the Tasa de Tlatelolco (the 1551 tribute assessment), the role of indigenous alcaldes in negotiating tribute, and th...