"Conquer or die indeed, Cortes thought… The hour of decision was at hand…"

It is the spring of 1521 and the fate of Mexico hangs by a thread. Smallpox has ripped through the local population, while the ruthless Spanish commander, Hernán Cortés, has cut off the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, from its surrounding provinces.

So begins one of the bloodiest and most dramatic struggles in all history - an extraordinary clash between the Old World and the New, as the Spanish tighten their grip on the island city of the Mexica. But can the new Aztec emperor, Cuauhtemoc, save his people? For he has a secret weapon - the terrifying Quetzal-Owl …

In today’s episode, Dominic and Tom tell the story of the Siege of Tenochtitlan - the last stand of the Aztec warriors, as the Spanish and their allies close in for the kill.

*Dominic’s book The Fall of the Aztecs is available now from bookshops across the UK - the perfect Christmas present!*

*The Rest Is History Live Tour 2023*:

Tom and Dominic are back on tour this autumn! See them live in New Zealand and Australia!

Buy your tickets here: restishistorypod.com

Twitter:

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Producer: Theo Young-Smith

Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Effectively Wild Episode 2455: The 2026 Preseason Predictions Game

Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Meg Rowley: Michael Garcia Royals WAR Leader

The AI-powered Podcast Player