# The Noche Triste: Cortés's Desperate Escape from Tenochtitlan

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-conquistadors-exploration-greed-and-destruction-fexingo-history-7864470/the-noche-triste-cort-s-s-desperate-escape-from-tenochtitlan-2
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-conquistadors-exploration-greed-and-destruction-fexingo-history-7864470/the-noche-triste-cort-s-s-desperate-escape-from-tenochtitlan-2.md
Podcast: [The Conquistadors: Exploration, Greed, and Destruction — Fexingo History](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-conquistadors-exploration-greed-and-destruction-fexingo-history-7864470)
Published: 2026-07-12T15:49:14+00:00
Episode link: https://audio.fexingo.com/history/the-conquistadors/episode-0150.mp3
Audio file: https://audio.fexingo.com/history/the-conquistadors/episode-0150.mp3
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Duration seconds: 311

## Resource

In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into one of the most dramatic and harrowing episodes of the Spanish conquest of Mexico: La Noche Triste, the 'Sad Night' of June 30, 1520. We follow Hernán Cortés and his men as they attempt to flee Tenochtitlan under cover of darkness, only to be discovered and attacked by Aztec warriors on the Tacuba causeway. Learn about the gold-laden escape, the bridges destroyed, and the thousands of Spanish and Tlaxcalan allies who perished in the canals. We examine the leadership of Cuitláhuac, the new huey tlatoani, and the tactical decisions that turned a retreat into a massacre. We also consider the controversial figure of Pedro de Alvarado and his legendary leap. This episode covers the immediate aftermath of the Toxcatl Massacre and sets the stage for the eventual siege and fall of the Aztec capital. #NocheTriste #HernánCortés #Tenochtitlan #Cuitláhuac #PedroDeAlvarado #TacubaCauseway #AztecEmpire #SpanishConquest #Tlaxcala #LaNocheTriste #Moctezuma #BernalDíaz #FlorentineCodex #Mesoamerica #History #FexingoHistory #Conquistadors #IndigenousHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

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