Martín Ocelotl: Life and Trial of the Jaguar Shaman

Posted October 19, 2025 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

Martín Ocelotl, a Nahua priest and shaman, skillfully navigated the cultural upheaval of early colonial Mexico by blending indigenous spiritual practices with Christian symbols, only to face the wrath of the Spanish Inquisition in 1537 for his clandestine resistance.

Africans & Aztecs vs. the Conquistadors: The Forgotten Uprising of 1537

Posted October 5, 2025 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

Just decades after the conquest of the Aztecs, the Spanish in colonial Mexico had a terrible situation on their hands.

Tlaxcalan Warriors in the Philippines

Posted June 15, 2025June 15, 2025 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

The Spanish used indigenous warriors from central Mexico to help them conquer the Philippines in the mid-1500s.

The Freemasonic Role in Mexican Independence

Posted April 13, 2025April 13, 2025 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

What role did Freemasonry have in the birth of the new nation of Mexico?

María Uchu Túpac: Inca Princess in Colonial Mexico

Posted March 23, 2025March 23, 2025 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

An Inca princess found herself in colonial Mexico fighting for her rights, for recognition of her family’s status, and for a place in a post-Conquest world.

Catarina de San Juan and the Trans-Pacific Slave Trade

Posted January 28, 2024March 9, 2024 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

An enslaved woman from India found herself living 10,000 miles away from home in 1600s colonial Mexico.

The Trial of the Chichimec Witch, 19 July 1599

Posted January 7, 2024March 9, 2024 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

An obscure witch trial on the frontier of New Spain was more political than religious.

Does a Group of Remote Islands in the Western Pacific Belong to Mexico?

Posted October 1, 2023April 5, 2024 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

4 small Pacific islands north of New Guinea may belong to Mexico

Doña Isabel Moctezuma, the Last Empress of the Aztecs

Posted July 2, 2023April 28, 2024 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

The last empress of the Aztecs had a short but intense life. Her legacy lives on.

The Martín Cortés Conspiracy

Posted September 11, 2022June 22, 2024 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

Did the son of the famous conquistador plot to overthrow the Spanish king?

Mapa Tlotzin, More than an Ancient Map

Posted February 13, 2022 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Ancient Mysteries

This ancient map from the Kingdom of Texcoco has interesting stories to tell.

Tarahumara Religion and Ritual

Posted August 15, 2021 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Hodge Podge

The Tarahumara of northern Mexico practice a unique blend of ancient beliefs & Christianity

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.

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.

Junipero Serra: Saint or Villain?

Posted August 24, 2020 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Religious Curiosities

History does not quite know what to do with this canonized Franciscan friar.

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.

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.

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.

The Black Christ of Otatitlán

Posted February 2, 2020 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Religious Curiosities

A carving of a black Christ brings hundreds of thousands of believers yearly to a small town in Veracruz.

Four Legends from Veracruz

Posted January 20, 2020 Robert Bitto2 CommentsPosted in Myths and Legends

The state of Veracruz has an intriguing history and his home to many legends. Here are 4.

The Case of the Bi-locating Nun

Posted August 26, 2019August 26, 2019 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Religious Curiosities

Sister Maria evangelized the Indians of the New World without ever leaving her convent in Spain.

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?

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 Miracle of the Virgin of Forgiveness

Posted March 5, 2018March 5, 2018 Robert Bitto3 CommentsPosted in Religious Curiosities

The Virgin Mary appeared to a Flemish painter who was jailed by the Inquisition in colonial Mexico City

Afro-Mexicans, a Hidden Heritage

Posted January 22, 2018August 3, 2025 Robert Bitto4 CommentsPosted in Little-Known History

The legacy of Africans in Mexico goes back 500 years.

Felipe de Jesús, Mexican Martyr in Japan

Posted January 1, 2018 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Religious Curiosities

The first Mexican-born saint was crucified in Japan in 1597. Here is his story.

The Pirates of Campeche

Posted December 11, 2017 Robert BittoLeave a commentPosted in Little-Known History

The largest pirate fleet in history laid waste to a Mexican city in 1663.

El Cucuy, the Mexican Bogeyman

Posted September 25, 2017May 12, 2020 Robert Bitto13 CommentsPosted in Myths and Legends

Mexico’s version of the bogeyman has its origins in pagan Celtic Europe.

Ana María, Forgotten Empress of Mexico

Posted August 28, 2017 Robert Bitto3 CommentsPosted in Little-Known History

Lost to history, Empress Ana María is unknown to most Mexicans today.

Doña Bernarda’s Kitchen Table

Posted May 22, 2017May 23, 2017 Robert Bitto2 CommentsPosted in Little-Known History

A Mexican matriarch’s little-known role in the end of the Mexican War is still being felt today.