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

While history remembers the siege of Tenochtitlan and the capture of Atahualpa, it often overlooks the chaotic maritime disaster that preceded them. In this episode, we explore the fate of Francisco de Garay’s expedition, specifically the ship Santa Cruz, which wrecked on the Yucatán coast in 1519. Among the survivors were two men whose knowledge would prove invaluable to Hernán Cortés: Geronimo d...

In this episode, we turn our attention to the dramatic final days of Atahualpa, the last independent Sapa Inca of Tawantinsuyu. While earlier episodes covered the capture in Cajamarca and the subsequent civil war, we focus on the specific mechanics of his execution in Cusco in July 1533. We explore how Francisco Pizarro navigated the complex political landscape of the Inca Empire, dealing with the...

While the Spanish captured Atahualpa and seized the capital, the Inca Empire did not simply collapse. This episode explores the dramatic Siege of Cuzco in 1536, led by Manco Inca Yupanqui, who gathered a massive army to expel the conquistadors from their sacred heartland. We examine how Manco utilized traditional Andean warfare tactics against steel and gunpowder, turning the city’s streets into d...

While most histories of the Spanish conquest focus on military battles or the role of indigenous allies, this episode turns its gaze toward a different kind of power: the Holy Office of the Inquisition. We explore how the tribunal established itself in New Spain not just to punish heresy, but to enforce cultural conformity and social hierarchy among the colonizers themselves. Through the lens of a...

While earlier episodes have focused on the military sieges and the devastating impact of smallpox, this episode shifts the lens to the critical, often overlooked role of indigenous intelligence in the Spanish conquest. We explore how Hernán Cortés relied not just on brute force, but on a sophisticated network of spies, translators, and scouts drawn from his Tlaxcalan allies. Luna joins Lucas to ex...

While Cortés marched on Tenochtitlan, Francisco Pizarro was carving a path through the Andes to dismantle the Tawantinsuyu. This episode explores how Pizarro exploited a devastating civil war between brothers Atahualpa and Huáscar to seize control of the Inca Empire. We examine the capture of Atahualpa at Cajamarca in November 1532, the infamous ransom room where gold filled two rooms and silver f...

While the Spanish fell Tenochtitlan in 1521, a small Itza Maya kingdom named Tayasal held out on an island in Lake Petén Itzá for nearly two centuries. This episode explores how Francisco de Montejo’s campaigns failed against the resilient Itza people, who used the lake’s treacherous waters and dense jungle as natural fortifications. We trace the history from the initial Spanish attempts in the 15...

We often picture the Spanish conquest of Mexico as a clash between Europeans and Indigenous peoples, but that narrative leaves out a crucial part of the army. This episode explores the presence of Afro-Mexicans in Hernán Cortés’s forces, focusing on figures like Juan de Jafa and Francisco de Morado. These men were not just foot soldiers; many were experienced warriors who had fought in North Afric...

While history remembers Hernán Cortés and his Spanish conquistadors, the true force that broke the siege of Tenochtitlan included a crucial contingent of African slaves who fought alongside their masters. This episode explores the lives of men like Juan de Jafa and Francisco de Morado, free-born Africans and enslaved soldiers who formed the backbone of the Spanish infantry. We examine how these me...

In this episode, we step away from the well-trodden paths of Cortés and Tenochtitlan to explore the Spanish conquest of the Andes. While Hernán Pizarro is often overshadowed by his brother Francisco, it was actually Hernando who led the initial reconnaissance missions into the highlands, mapping the terrain and establishing early contacts with local leaders long before the main force arrived. We e...

We left off with the fall of Tenochtitlan, but the Spanish conquest of the Americas was far from over. While Cortés celebrated in Mexico, a new empire rose in the Andes. Francisco Pizarro captured Atahualpa in 1532, but true control remained elusive. Enter Manco Inca Yupanqui, the second Sapa Inca installed by the Spanish as a puppet ruler. Initially appearing cooperative, Manco quickly realized t...

History often highlights the Tlaxcalan allies and Spanish officers in the conquest of Mexico, but it overlooks a crucial third group: the African soldiers who fought alongside them. This episode explores the lives of men like Juan de Jafa and Gaspar Yanga, who arrived as enslaved people or free settlers and chose to take up arms for the Spanish crown. We examine why so many Afro-Mexicans joined th...

While history fixates on the Tlaxcalan alliance and the siege of Tenochtitlan, a smaller but vital force accompanied Hernán Cortés into Mexico: the African soldiers. This episode explores the lives of these men, many of whom arrived as enslaved people or free settlers, and their complex role in the conquest. We examine figures like Juan Valenzuela, who brought smallpox to the Americas, and Gaspar...

While Hernán Cortés made headlines for conquering the Aztec Empire, his second-in-command Pedro de Alvarado launched a brutal campaign to subjugate the Maya civilizations of the Guatemalan highlands. This episode explores the 1523 invasion led by Alvarado, focusing on the Battle of Zaculeu and the siege of the Mam kingdom. We examine how Alvarado’s tactics of terror, including hostage-taking and p...

In this episode, we move beyond the battlefield to examine the political aftermath of the Spanish conquest. While earlier episodes covered the siege of Tenochtitlan and the vital role of the Tlaxcalteca as military allies, we now explore how that alliance dissolved into subjugation. We look at the Treaty of Coyoacán, signed in 1525, which promised Tlaxcala autonomy but delivered the encomienda sys...

While most narratives of the Spanish conquest focus on European soldiers and Indigenous allies, a crucial third force was already present: enslaved Africans brought to the Americas as early as 1519. This episode explores the lives of these men and women who arrived not as conquerors, but as property, only to become pivotal figures in the resistance against colonial rule. We examine the role of Afr...

While Hernán Cortés dismantled the Aztec Empire in the early 1520s, a different kind of conquest was unfolding hundreds of miles to the southeast. This episode explores the decades-long campaign against the Itza Maya, centered at their fortified capital of Tayasal on Lake Petén Itzá. We trace the journey from Francisco de Montejo the Elder’s initial failed attempts in 1527 to the eventual submissi...

In this episode, we move beyond the general narrative of Cortés’s alliance with Tlaxcala to examine the specific engineering and naval warfare that turned the conquest of Tenochtitlan into a siege. We look at how Hernán Cortés, facing the formidable lake defenses of the Mexica, commissioned the construction of thirteen brigantines in Tlaxcala and brought them to Lake Texcoco. This wasn't just abou...

While the military conquest of the Aztec Empire is often told through the lens of steel and strategy, Episode 240 reveals the invisible weapon that did the heavy lifting: smallpox. When Juan de Valenzuela’s infected goat arrived in Veracruz in early 1520, it unleashed a biological catastrophe that decimated Mesoamerica long before the final siege of Tenochtitlan. We explore how this disease moved...

This episode explores the pivotal role of La Malinche, also known as Doña Marina, in Hernán Cortés’s conquest of Mexico. Unlike previous episodes that focused on military tactics or Tlaxcalan alliances, we examine how language itself became a weapon of empire. We trace her journey from slavery to becoming Cortés’s indispensable interpreter and diplomat. The conversation details her mediation with...

While the Siege of Tenochtitlan is often remembered for its cannons and brigantines, the Spanish victory relied heavily on a sophisticated intelligence apparatus built by their allies, the Tlaxcalteca. This episode explores how Tlaxcalan scouts, known as 'bravos,' navigated the complex political landscape of central Mexico to gather critical information about Mexica troop movements and supply line...

While earlier episodes explored the military alliance between Hernán Cortés and the Tlaxcalteca against the Mexica, this episode examines the political aftermath of that victory. We focus on the Treaty of Coyoacán in 1525, a pivotal moment where Spanish promises of autonomy were traded for tribute and labor obligations. Lucas traces how Xicotencatl the Elder and his council navigated this fragile...

In Episode 236, Lucas and Luna shift focus from the swords of Cortés to the invisible army that truly brought down the Aztec Empire: smallpox. While previous episodes covered the Tlaxcalan alliance and the siege of Tenochtitlan, this conversation explores how a shipwrecked enslaved man named Juan de Valenzuela inadvertently introduced the virus in 1520. We examine the catastrophic demographic coll...

While we often remember the Tlaxcalan allies and the final assault on Tenochtitlan, the true turning point was a naval battle fought on Lake Texcoco. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how Hernán Cortés built a fleet of brigantines from scratch in the ruins of Tacuba to break the Aztec blockade. We look at the engineering feats required to drag ships over land, the strategic importance of cut...

While the conquest of Tenochtitlan is well-documented, the fate of Moctezuma Xocoyotzin’s personal treasury remains one of Mesoamerica’s most enduring mysteries. In this episode, we trace the chaotic days following the Spanish arrival in November 1519 and the subsequent flight known as the Noche Triste. We examine how Hernán Cortés and his men seized the imperial storehouses filled with gold ornam...