Aztec Kings Had Rules for Plagues, Including ‘Do Not Be a Fool’

But When Cortés’s Soldiers Arrived Carrying a Novel Virus, the Empire First Succumbed to Smallpox and Then Fell to Spain

Every civilization eventually faces a crisis that forces it to adapt or be destroyed. Few adapt.

On July 10, 1520, Aztec forces vanquished the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés and his men, driving them from Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec empire. The Spanish soldiers were wounded and killed as they fled, trying in vain to drag stolen gold and jewels with them.

The Spanish more than deserved the routing they got, and the conflict should have ended then. But a fateful surprise made those losses insignificant. By September, an unexpected ally of …

by David Bowles | May 10, 2020

How the Apaches Maintained Control of the U.S.-Mexico Border for Much of the 19th Century

Even Though the U.S. Army Was Supposedly in Charge, the Chiricahuas Kept the Upper Hand in Trade and Diplomacy

by Janne Lahti | January 23, 2020

On February 3, 1873, representatives of the U.S. Army met with Chiricahua Apache leader Cochise at the foot of the rugged Dragoon Mountains. It was a tense meeting. Cross-border relations …

TKTKTK | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

The Border Should Inspire Us, Not Scare Us

Communities Along the U.S.-Mexico Border Point the Way to a Bicultural, Bilingual, and Binational Future

by Joe Mathews | November 22, 2019

The U.S.-Mexico border offers an enduring example of binational, bicultural, and bilingual living that could be a positive model for the future—if Americans and Mexicans are willing to look beyond …

‘When the Baby Has Colic I Talk With the Grandmother’

As a Mexico-Trained Doctor in San Diego, Brenda Green Gets the Whole Family Involved

by Brenda Green | September 30, 2019

I practice family medicine at a clinic just a few miles away from the Tijuana medical school where I earned my medical degree. But the journey from medical school to …

The 1929 Law That Turned Undocumented Entry Into a Crime

By Treating Migrants as Felons, the Undesirable Aliens Act Reinforced a Punitive Approach to Unauthorized Immigration

by Benjamin Gonzalez O’Brien | November 27, 2018

Too often, discussions of modern immigration policy are ahistorical, focusing on recent events while ignoring the past policies that led us, as a country, to where we are today.

That’s especially …

How an Early Santa Barbara Scion Protected Women’s Rights to Property in the California Constitution

In 1849, Doña Angustias Bargained Away Suffrage for Non-Whites to Help Preserve Her Social Status

by Andrew Gibb | October 17, 2018

In 1849, Angustias de la Guerra struck the first blow for gender equality in U.S.-controlled California when she influenced the outcome of the new state’s constitutional convention.

Doña Angustias, as …

Why I Dig Aztec Kitchen Trash

While Most Archaeologists Hunt for Pyramids and Palaces, I’m Fascinated by the Detritus of Ordinary Life

Why Romans Grew Nostalgic for the Deadly Plague of 165 A.D.

The Empire’s Resilience to Smallpox Included Appealing to the Gods and Affirming the Power of Community to Stand Together Amidst Personal Horror

The Forbidding Little Adriatic Island Where Quarantine Began

From Its 14th-Century Roots, the Ritual of Self-Isolation During Plagues Offers Insights on Our Current Situation

You Can Become Mexican Again

Going Back to the Place I Was Born After 30 Years Wasn’t Straightforward. But I’m Still Here.

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