The Aztec Zoo of Moctezuma II

Long before Hernán Cortés and his men arrived in Tenochtitlan, Moctezuma Xocoyotzin maintained a vast zoological collection that stunned the Spanish. This episode dives into the emperor's private zoo and aviary at the heart of the capital — home to jaguars, eagles, snakes, and exotic birds from across the empire. We explore how the collection was organized, staffed by hundreds of keepers, and supplied through tribute networks. Lucas and Luna discuss the role of animals in Mexica cosmology, the specific species kept, and the daily operations of feeding and care. They also touch on the darker side: the zoo housed carnivores fed on the remains of sacrificial victims, and visiting Spanish soldiers were both awed and horrified. Using firsthand accounts from Bernal Díaz del Castillo's 'True History of the Conquest of New Spain' and the Florentine Codex, the episode reconstructs a lost wonder of the pre-Columbian world. No previous episodes have covered this specific aspect of Tenochtitlan's urban life, making it a fresh angle on the Mexica capital. #MoctezumaXocoyotzin #Tenochtitlan #Aztecs #Mexica #BernalDíaz #FlorentineCodex #Zoo #Aviary #Jaguar #Quetzal #Tribute #Cemanahuac #Nahuatl #Cortés #Conquest #Mesoamerica #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo