Hernán Cortés and his small army of soldiers conquered the Aztec empire 500 years ago. Even though they were heavily outnumbered, the Spanish won thanks to their superior weapons and technology.

At least, that’s what Cortés wanted you to believe. The truth is a lot more complicated. We’ll hear the real story on Throughline.

Plus, Stradivarius is one of the most famous names in music. But are they really that good? The podcast Planet Money got professional musicians do a blind test between a Stradivarius and a modern violin, to see if they can really hear the difference.

That and more, this week on Podcast Playlist.

Featuring: Planet Money, Throughline, Snap Judgment, Invisibilia, Spooked

For links and more info on all the podcasts on today's show, head to http://cbc.ca/podcastplaylist