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Hello and welcome to the explorers

Hello and welcome to the explorers podcast.

Today is part 7 in our series on Aaronnan Cortez and the conquest of Mexico.

Well, it has been quite the ride with Cortez and the end is in sight.

Today we bring together the Spanish invaders and the Aztec Empire in an epic clash for control of Mexico.

So last time we concluded with the Spanish and their Indian allies preparing to launch an

all-out push against the heart of the Aztec world, the capital of Tenoch Titlan.

Let's start today with a few reminders.

It is the spring of 1521.

Quotemoke is now the emperor following the death of his uncle Quilawak who died of smallpox.

In fact, smallpox had spread throughout the empire, killing upwards of half of the population

and causing food shortages throughout the region.

Cortez had returned to the Valley of Mexico,

taking control of Teshkoko,

and making it a base for his operations against the Aztecs.

The Spanish would push north and south,

fighting a number of battles, and essentially encircling the lakes that made up the valley.

Cortez and his captains would capture a number of key locations and bottle up many of the towns and villages on the shores of the lakes.

In the process, the Spanish had gotten some of the local towns and kingdoms to abandon the

Aztec's and join them.

These defectors included Chalko, an important city to the south and many Tesh Kocans.

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