The Latin American History Podcast

Being the first new world colony that the Spanish established, Hispaniola was a grand experiment. Today we take a look at how it was turning out under the rule of its third governor Nicolas de Ovando. His rule was a time of rapid growth, despite the fact that he had to deal with both a hurricane and an earthquake. This was also a pivotal time for the indigenous Taino. Ovando would go on a campaign...

Despite being arrested and sent back to Spain to face punishment, Columbus was not done yet. He managed to wrangle himself one last voyage of discovery. Perhaps he shouldn't have bothered pursuading the Spanish monarchy to let him have another go, on the way he will face a hurricane, yet more mutiny and end up stranded on a Caribbean island. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-...

Over the last few episodes we have been busy looking at Spanish activity in the Caribbean, but Portugal's activities have hardly been mentioned. Today we follow them as they make their first visit in the new world. The story includes first contact with the native Tupi people of Brazil, a great storm that will kill hundreds of people, and the naming of the American continent. Support this podca...

The colony that Columbus founded on Hispaniola was by this point, well and truely up and running. While it only occupied a tiny part of what would become Spanish America, the foundations for empire were being laid. Today we take a step back from the story and examine what these foundations looked like. There were three things that would have a profound impact on the Spanish empire, the Treaty of T...

Columbus' third voyage was less about exploration and more about the governance of his fledgling colony. Despite this he would reach the American mainland for the first time and venture further south than he had before. Meanwhile, things in the colony were not going well and things were slipping out of Columbus' control. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-latin-american-hi...

Columbus returned triumphantly to Spain after 'discovering' the Americas, and was given a blank cheque to launch a second expedition. This time things would not go exactly to plan. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-latin-american-history-podcast/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

After years of trying, Columbus had finally secured funding to set off across the Atlantic. What happened next is known to almost everyone in Western world. Columbus reached the Americas and began the process of European colonisation. The details of his journey however, are rather less known and this episode tells its story. Along the way he will face storms, hostile foreign governments, natives a...

Everyone knows that Columbus started the colonial era by travelling to America, but not many know much more about him. In this episode we will look at the various theories as to who he was, and how he ended up persuading the Spanish royalty to back his voyage. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-latin-american-history-podcast/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcirc...

Having looked at the general history, this episode we hone in on the events that led up to the discovery of the Americas. We cover the war of Castilian succession and why it was so important for the future of the Americas - despite the fact that they had not been 'discovered' yet. Along the way we will encounter family feuding, incest and scheming which would make Game of Thrones look tame...

This episode provides a lightning fast run down of Iberian history up to the 1400s. We will also start to unpack how this history influenced the Spanish and Portuguese cultures and national characters. These influences would go on to determine how they behaved in the new world. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-latin-american-history-podcast/exclusive-content Advertising Inquirie...

This episode sees us wrapping up our look at pre-Columbian history. We will cover the peoples of Brazil, Paraguay and the Southern cone before conducting a brief analysis of the major themes that have emerged from looking at the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Click here for the Mexican earthquake charity episode: Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-latin-american-history-podca...

Last week Central Mexico was hit by an earthquake which killed hundreds of people and damaged as many buildings. I will be releasing a special episode within the next two weeks which will come at a one off cost of US$5. The money used to purchase the episode will go to the Mexican Red Cross, and will help them in their efforts to rebuild. The episode can be purchased using the Patreon link below....

In our last episode on the Inca we look at the lives of ordinary Inca subjects. What was did the average person's day look like? How did they practice their religion? We will also take a look at the Inca capital of Cusco - how it was laid out and how its great buildings were built. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-latin-american-history-podcast/exclusive-content Advertising...

This episode takes a look at how Inca society was organised. As we will see, theirs was a highly developed state with social structures which draw comparison with our own. One in particular is interesting, as it could be argued that they created a form of proto-socialism complete with communal land use and a welfare state. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-latin-american-history-...

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-latin-american-history-podcast/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

As the Andean region developed, bigger multiethnic empires started to emerge. Two equally sized rivals - Tiwanaku and Huari battled for control of the mountains while the Chimu built a great city down on the coast. Meanwhile the Chachapoya people created an enigmatic society of their own and left us some mysterious puzzles which we are yet to solve. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/...

The Andean region was home to a long line of fascinating civilisations. Each one had its own interesting culture and ingenious ways of overcoming their environments. This episode traces the social evolution of the area from the earliest cities to the first empires. Along the way we will encounter the mysterious Nazca lines, strange wind powered waterholes and the largest pre-Columbian structure in...

The Amazon basin is one of the world's last great wildernesses. It is a vast expanse of thick jungle inhabited by small tribes who live the same way that they have done for millennia. Well actually, probably not. More and more evidence is coming to light which suggests that the region was actually home to large populations, organised states and even cities. This episode looks at these discover...

Today we continue our exploration of Colombia and the Caribbean. We look at several mysterious civilisations who left us impressive evidence of their existence, but no clues as to who they were. We then move on to the Caribbean and look at the Taino and Carib peoples. We get to the bottom of the El Dorado myth, and try to determine of the Caribs really the ferocious cannibals they were said to be....

There is a bit of a blank spot in most people's maps when it comes to Central America. We know about the Aztec and the Inca but what was going on in between? There were actually several advanced societies in the region, with historians even placing one in the same category as the Mesoamerican and Andean cultures. This episode will outline some of them, as well as discussing language families a...

The Mayan peoples are well known for their advanced civilisation. They created a complex calendar, had a writing system, and possessed a vibrant and fascinating religion. This episode will examine their cultural achievements as well as discussing the various theories as to why they collapsed. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-latin-american-history-podcast/exclusive-content Adver...

Everyone has heard of the Maya. Their pyramids are famous and there was mild hysteria a few years ago when the media got hold of the idea that they may have predicted the end of the world. Who were they though? Where did they come from and how did they live? ***This was suposed to be the second episode on the aztec but my recording software has corrupted the file and I will have to record it from...

Several weeks late, I have finally got around to re-recording the second episode on the Aztec. This time we discover how the Aztec moved from a small alliance of cities to a vast empire. We also examine their region, their gruesome penchant for human sacrifice and how they structured their society. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-latin-american-history-podcast/exclusive-content...

The Aztec are one of the most well known civilisations in history. Everyone recognises their art and architecture, and most know of their grizzly reputation for human sacrifice. In this episode we discuss the humble origins of the Aztec. We look at where they came from, and how they established themselves as a major power in the region. We will also examine how their empire was structured, and the...

In this episode we continue our tour of Ancient Mesoamerica and move into the classical era. This was a time of larger and more technically advanced civilisations than those which had come before. We will look at Teotihuacan, El Tajin, and return to the Zapotec and Mixtec. The second half of the episode will look at the great collapse which affected almost all the peoples of the classical era, and...