For centuries, the story has been told the same way: Montezuma surrendered to Hernán Cortés, and a small band of Spaniards conquered the Aztec Empire.

But that story has always seemed a bit ... fishy. 

To get the TRUE story, Bob calls up historian Matthew Restall to debunk one of the most enduring myths of the Spanish conquest of the Americas. As it turns out, when you dig into Indigenous sources a whole new story begins to emerge. Shocker, Montezuma did not surrender and Cortés was not viewed as a God-like figure. 

In this episode, we'll revisit the famous meeting between Montezuma and Cortés, unpack the legend that Europeans were mistaken for gods, and explore how Spanish self-promotion shaped the history books for hundreds of years. 

If you’ve ever wondered how a few hundred conquistadors were said to defeat an empire of millions — or why we’ve been telling this story the same way for 500 years — this episode offers a long-overdue reset.

For centuries, the story has been told the same way: Montezuma surrendered to Hern&aacute;n Cort&eacute;s, and a small band of Spaniards conquered the Aztec Empire.
But that story has always seemed a bit ... fishy.&nbsp;
To get the TRUE story, Bob calls up historian Matthew Restall to debunk one of the most enduring myths of the Spanish conquest of the Americas. As it turns out, when you dig into Indigenous sources a whole new story begins to emerge. Shocker, Montezuma did not surrender and Cort&eacute;s was not viewed as a God-like figure.&nbsp;
In this episode, we'll revisit the famous meeting between Montezuma and Cort&eacute;s, unpack the legend that Europeans were mistaken for gods, and explore how Spanish self-promotion shaped the history books for hundreds of years.&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;ve ever wondered how a few hundred conquistadors were said to defeat an empire of millions &mdash; or why we&rsquo;ve been telling this story the same way for 500 years &mdash; this episode offers a long-overdue reset.

Bob Crawford searches for the best historians and experts to answer listener questions about American history — from the Revolutionary War to rock & roll feuds. Got a question? Send it to AmericanHistoryHotline@gmail.com.

Bob Crawford searches for the best historians and experts to answer listener questions about American history &mdash; from the Revolutionary War to rock &amp; roll feuds. Got a question? Send it to AmericanHistoryHotline@gmail.com.

American History Hotline

American History Hotline with Bob Crawford

Did Montezuma Surrender? Debunking the Myth of the Spanish Conquest

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/57f790d5-6ed0-43f5-9eda-b3b900f5aaf3/transcript