About this episode
The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire provides a great opportunity to think about many complex historical questions. How should we think about topics of colonialism and conquest from a modern lens? How are morality and historical narrative closely tied together? How did Spanish people and Mexica people think about the conquest both at the time and deep into the future? The answers to these questions give insight into how morality and psychology are at the center of many historical stories. This is Part VI in a series on the rise, fall, and enduring legacy of the Aztec Empire. In this episode I discuss colonialist narratives of history, the "civilizing mission" and how morality was at the center of the Spanish conquest, the Quetzocoatl narrative of the Spanish conquest, Jared Diamond's Guns Germs and Steel hypothesis, and how both sides of this conflict felt cognitive dissonance at the time and in their later tellings of their histories. -Consider Supporting the Podcast!- Leave a rating or review on apple podcasts or spotify! Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/reflectinghistory Check out my podcast series on Aftersun, Piranesi, Arcane, The Dark Knight Trilogy, and Nazi Germany and the Battle for the Human Heart here: https://www.reflectinghistory.com/bonuscontent Try my podcast series "Nazi Germany and the Battle for the Human Heart"-- What led to the rise of Nazi Germany? The answer may surprise you…Why do 'good' people support evil leaders? What allure does fascism hold that enables it to garner popular support? To what extent are ordinary people responsible for the development of authoritarian evil? This 13 part podcast series explores these massive questions and more through the lens of Nazi Germany and the ordinary people who collaborated or resisted as the Third Reich expanded. You'll not only learn about the horrifying, surprising, and powerful ways in which the Nazis seized and maintained power, but also fundamental lessons about what fascism is-how to spot it and why it spreads. Through exploring the past, I hope to unlock lessons that everyone can apply to the present day. Check it out on my Patreon page at: https://www.patreon.com/reflectinghistory.
