The Aztec Ruler Who Fought Cortés to the Bitter End

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the final chapter of Aztec resistance: Cuauhtémoc, the last tlatoani of Tenochtitlan. They trace his rise after Cuitláhuac's death from smallpox, his desperate defense during the 1521 siege, and the brutal capture that followed. Lucas describes Cuauhtémoc's torture by Cortés's men, who poured oil on his feet to force him to reveal hidden gold, and his defiant silence. They discuss the conflicting accounts of his death—was he hanged in 1525 during Cortés's expedition to Honduras, or executed earlier? The episode also touches on how Cuauhtémoc is remembered today in Mexico: as a hero carved into statues and named on streets, yet whose grave remains unknown. Through the Florentine Codex and Díaz del Castillo's chronicles, they weigh the man against the myth. #Cuauhtemoc #Tenochtitlan #AztecEmpire #HernanCortes #Mexica #FlorentineCodex #BernalDiazdelCastillo #Siege1521 #CanoeWarfare #Smallpox #Torture #Tlatoani #Mesoamerica #MexicanHistory #Resistance #History #FexingoHistory #Aztec Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo