The Siege of Tenochtitlan: Cortes's Final Gamble

In 1521, the Spanish and their Indigenous allies laid siege to Tenochtitlan, the island capital of the Mexica. This episode follows the brutal eighty-day campaign that ended the Aztec Empire. We trace the Spanish strategy, the Mexica defense under Cuauhtémoc, the devastating smallpox outbreak, and the final assault that left the city in ruins. Along the way, we examine the role of the Tlaxcalans, the infamous massacre at the Templo Mayor, and the controversial figure of Cortés himself. How did a handful of conquistadors topple an empire? What did the Mexica's last stand look like, and what did the Spanish actually find when they got inside? We also consider the ethical questions that haunt the conquest — the destruction of a civilization, the rewriting of history, and the legacy that still echoes in modern Mexico. #Tenochtitlan #AztecEmpire #Cortes #Cuauhtemoc #Mexica #SpanishConquest #Tlaxcala #Smallpox #TemploMayor #LakeTexcoco #LaNocheTriste #Mesoamerica #History #FexingoHistory #Ep199 #SiegeOfTenochtitlan #AztecHistory #Conquistadors Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo