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

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-conquistadors-exploration-greed-and-destruction-fexingo-history-7864470/the-noche-triste-cort-s-s-great-escape-from-tenochtitlan
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-conquistadors-exploration-greed-and-destruction-fexingo-history-7864470/the-noche-triste-cort-s-s-great-escape-from-tenochtitlan.md
Podcast: [The Conquistadors: Exploration, Greed, and Destruction — Fexingo History](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-conquistadors-exploration-greed-and-destruction-fexingo-history-7864470)
Published: 2026-05-27T14:48:44+00:00
Episode link: https://audio.fexingo.com/history/the-conquistadors/episode-0060.mp3
Audio file: https://audio.fexingo.com/history/the-conquistadors/episode-0060.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-conquistadors-exploration-greed-and-destruction-fexingo-history-7864470/episodes/the-noche-triste-cort-s-s-great-escape-from-tenochtitlan
Duration seconds: 363

## Resource

On the night of June 30, 1520, Hernán Cortés and his men fled Tenochtitlan under a hail of Aztec arrows, losing hundreds of soldiers and vast amounts of gold along the Tacuba causeway. This episode reexamines the Noche Triste—the 'Sad Night'—not as a mere Spanish defeat, but as a pivotal turning point in the conquest of Mexico. Lucas and Luna unpack the sequence of events: the massacre in the Templo Mayor, the death of Moctezuma, the desperate escape, and the aftermath at Otumba. They explore the roles of key figures like Pedro de Alvarado, La Malinche, and Cuauhtémoc, and question how Cortés turned a disaster into a propaganda victory. Specific details include the use of portable bridges, the loss of Moctezuma's treasure, and the Battle of Otumba where Tlaxcalan allies saved the day. The episode also touches on Aztec perspectives, drawing on accounts from the Florentine Codex and indigenous chroniclers. #NocheTriste #Tenochtitlan #Cortes #Aztecs #Conquistadors #Mexica #Moctezuma #LaMalinche #Cuauhtemoc #Otumba #Tlaxcala #PedroDeAlvarado #FlorentineCodex #Tacuba #History #FexingoHistory #Mesoamerica #SpanishConquest Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

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