This co-hosted history podcast delves into the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, focusing on Hernán Cortés's controversial march on Tenochtitlan. The hosts discuss Cortés's motivations, the role of La Malinche, and the complex political dynamics between Cortés, the Tlaxcalans, and the Mexica, highlighting the ambiguities and conflicting interpretations surrounding the events. They analyze primary sources, such as Bernal Díaz's accounts, questioning their reliability and exploring the biases inherent in historical narratives. A key takeaway is the challenge of interpreting the actions and motivations of both Cortés and Montezuma, emphasizing the lack of clear understanding at the time and the subsequent difficulties in reconstructing the events accurately. The episode concludes with the Spanish arrival in Tenochtitlan, leaving the listeners to ponder the ambiguous nature of the encounter and the uncertain future of the encounter.
