# The Siege of Tenochtitlan's Secret Weapon: Smallpox and Epidemics in the Conquest

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-conquistadors-exploration-greed-and-destruction-fexingo-history-7864470/the-siege-of-tenochtitlan-s-secret-weapon-smallpox-and-epidemics-in-the-conquest-2
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-conquistadors-exploration-greed-and-destruction-fexingo-history-7864470/the-siege-of-tenochtitlan-s-secret-weapon-smallpox-and-epidemics-in-the-conquest-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: 2026-07-06T02:59:00+00:00
Episode link: https://audio.fexingo.com/history/the-conquistadors/episode-0137.mp3
Audio file: https://audio.fexingo.com/history/the-conquistadors/episode-0137.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-conquistadors-exploration-greed-and-destruction-fexingo-history-7864470/episodes/the-siege-of-tenochtitlan-s-secret-weapon-smallpox-and-epidemics-in-the-conquest-2
Duration seconds: 382

## Resource

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the devastating role of smallpox and other epidemics during the Spanish conquest of Mexico. They discuss how the introduction of Old World diseases like smallpox, measles, and typhus decimated the Indigenous population, with Tenochtitlan alone losing perhaps half its inhabitants during the 1520 smallpox outbreak. The conversation revisits key figures like Cuitláhuac and Cuauhtémoc, examines the Florentine Codex's accounts of the cocoliztli, and considers the broader impact of disease on the Aztec resistance. Lucas draws connections to later epidemics and the ongoing debate about intentional biological warfare, offering a nuanced look at how disease, not just military might, shaped the conquest's outcome. #Smallpox #Cocoliztli #Tenochtitlan #HernánCortés #Cuauhtémoc #Cuitláhuac #FlorentineCodex #BernardinoDeSahagún #NocheTriste #Tlatelolco #AztecEmpire #SpanishConquest #Epidemics #Mesoamerica #History #FexingoHistory #BiologicalWarfare #Colonialism Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

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