The Maya World Between Collapse and Conquest

Posted January 9, 2022 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

After the Classic Maya Collapse, what happened in the Yucatán?

Nezahualcoyotl, Poet-King of Texcoco

Posted November 28, 2021November 28, 2021 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

The story of one of the most extraordinary rulers of ancient Mexico.

Teresa Urrea: Mystic, Healer, Revolutionary

Posted September 12, 2021 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

A young girl with special powers transformed the culture and politics of northern Mexico.

California’s First Black Governor, Pío Pico, 1832

Posted August 8, 2021August 8, 2021 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

Few know that California has already had a Black governor, but under Mexican rule.

Huamalgüeños, The Fog People of Cedros Island

Posted May 23, 2021May 31, 2021 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

The natives of a Mexican Pacific island abandoned their paradise to integrate into Spanish mission system.

Mountain Yaqui, Indigenous Resistance into the 20th Century

Posted May 9, 2021 Robert Bitto4 CommentsPosted in Little-Known History

For nearly 400 years, the Mountain Yaqui resisted outside domination

Casta: Race in Colonial Mexico

Posted April 11, 2021 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

Racial classifications in colonial Mexico were confusing and borderline comical.

San Patricios – The Saint Patrick’s Battalion

Posted March 14, 2021 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

A little-known battalion of Irish soldiers played an important role in the Mexican War.

Pánuco, Forgotten Spanish Colony in Mexico

Posted December 28, 2020 Robert Bitto2 CommentsPosted in Little-Known History

Once a prosperous region, the colony of Pánuco burned out in a few short decades.

Geronimo in Mexico

Posted November 23, 2020 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

Legendary Apache leader Geronimo spent much time in Mexico & had deep feelings about its country and people.

The Comanche Wars, 1821-1870

Posted October 11, 2020 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

For decades, Comanche raiding parties terrorized the northern reaches of a young Mexico.

Montezuma the Great

Posted July 13, 2020 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

An overview of one of the most important figures in Mexican history.

Juan O’Donojú, The Last Viceroy

Posted June 15, 2020 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

The last Viceroy of New Spain left an interesting legacy. This is his story.

Islas Marías, The Mexican Alcatraz

Posted April 27, 2020April 27, 2020 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

The story of the last island penal colony in the Americas, Las Islas Marias.

Sor Juana, A Magnificent Life

Posted April 5, 2020 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

Little known outside Mexico, this 17th Century intellectual was a driving cultural force of her time.

Carmelita Torres and the 1917 Bath Riots

Posted March 16, 2020 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

Fear of a pandemic led to drastic measures at the border. A Mexican maid said, “No.”

The Unpriestly Life of Father Servando Teresa de Mier

Posted February 16, 2020February 17, 2020 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

A rebel priest who escaped prison 7 times, he played an important role in creating the nation of Mexico.

Yucatán, USA; A State That Almost Was

Posted January 6, 2020 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

In the mid-19th Century, Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula almost became a possession of the United States.

Opata Kingdoms of the North

Posted October 27, 2019October 27, 2019 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

A complex civilization existed in the deserts of Sonora. Who were the Opata?

John Dee’s Magical Mexican Mirror

Posted September 22, 2019September 22, 2019 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

A 16th Century English philosopher and seer possessed an interesting Aztec artifact.

Gaspar Yanga and the Mexican Slave Revolt of 1609

Posted September 1, 2019 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

In the early 1600s, an escaped slave rebelled against Spain and created an independent self-governing region in Veracruz.

The Young Cortés: Life Before the Aztecs

Posted July 28, 2019July 29, 2019 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

Many people know little about the young life of the man who would change history.

The Final Days of the Tarascan Empire

Posted July 1, 2019July 1, 2019 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

The story of one of the most complex and little-known civilizations in ancient Mexico

Juan Chávez, Legendary Mexican Bandit

Posted June 17, 2019 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

A little-known rural outlaw rose to legend status during his own lifetime in 19th Century Mexico.

Chichimeca: Warriors of the North

Posted April 22, 2019March 21, 2021 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

This fiercely independent people repelled the Aztecs and the Spanish. Who were the Chichimeca?

Kingo Nonaka, “The Mexican Samurai”

Posted March 11, 2019 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

An unknown Japanese-born medic played an important role in the Mexican Revolution

Does Alaska Belong to Mexico?

Posted February 25, 2019 Robert Bitto2 CommentsPosted in Little-Known History

Vague treaties and claims leave some people wondering if Alaska isn’t even American.

The Pastry War, 1838-1839

Posted February 10, 2019 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

The ransacking of a French bakery outside Mexico City prompted a reaction from France: It invaded Mexico.

The Tragic History of the House of Texcoco

Posted January 28, 2019 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

A dynasty of a small ancient Mexican kingdom managed to survive upheavals & tragedies

Guadalupe Island, Kingdom of Goats

Posted January 14, 2019 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

Mexico’s westernmost possession has a fascinating, little-known history.