The Mysteries of the Americas, Hosted by Andrew Colón

During the Mexican-American War, Irish immigrants serving in the U.S. Army crossed over to fight for Mexico. Led by John Riley, the San Patricios battled at Monterrey, Buena Vista, and Churubusco—and faced severe punishment when the war turned against them.

Why did they switch sides? This episode looks at anti-Irish and anti-Catholic prejudice, life in the U.S. Army, Mexico’s offer, and the reasons historians give for their decision. Were they traitors, heroes, or something more complicated? The answer depends partly on which side of the border remembers them.

Where does La Catrina really come from? Before she became the elegant skeleton of Día de Muertos—or appeared in makeup tutorials, Halloween costumes, movies and merchandise—she began as a sharp piece of Mexican satire.

In this episode of The Mysteries of the Americas, Andrew Colón follows La Catrina’s transformation from José Guadalupe Posada’s Calavera Garbancera to the beautifully dressed figure painted by Diego Rivera.

You’ll discover:

• Who Posada’s original skeleton was mocking
• Why she was called La Calavera Garbancera
• What Diego Rivera added to her image
• Whether La Catrina is truly connected to the Mexica goddess Mictecacíhuatl
• How Self Help Graphics and Chicano artists in East Los Angeles reclaimed Día de Muertos imagery
• How James Bond’s Spectre helped inspire a real Mexico City parade
• How Hollywood, Halloween and major corporations turned La Catrina into an international icon

The often-repeated story that La Catrina is a modern version of Mictecacíhuatl is fascinating—but the direct historical evidence is far less certain than many online accounts suggest. Her real journey is a story of satire, Mexican identity, Indigenous survival, Chicano pride and constant reinvention.

Learn more about Self Help Graphics & Art and support its artists:
https://www.selfhelpgraphics.com/

Follow The Mysteries of the Americas on Spotify for more overlooked history, myths, legends and mysteries from Mexico and across the Americas.

What does La Catrina represent to you or your family?

Eight years after Mexico won its independence, Spain sent an army from Cuba to take the country back. Andrew Colón tells the overlooked story of the 1829 Spanish reconquest attempt, the Battle of Tampico, the tropical storm that transformed the fighting and the victory that made Antonio López de Santa Anna a national hero. This was the moment Mexico secured its independence from Spain for good.

Did Polynesian navigators reach the Americas centuries before Columbus? Follow the evidence across the Pacific, including pre-1492 sweet potatoes, the words kumara and kūmara, Indigenous American DNA on Rapa Nui (Easter Island), and disputed Polynesian chicken bones in Chile. We examine the Case For and the Case Against, compare the evidence with the Viking settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows, and then you decide.

Welcome to the Mysteries of the Americas...there's lots more to see and hear!-Andrew

Gonzalo Guerrero arrived in the Americas as a Spaniard. After a shipwreck left him stranded on the Yucatán coast, his life took a path few could have imagined.

He learned the Maya language and customs, married a Maya woman, had children, and eventually became a Maya war captain. Then Hernán Cortés offered him the chance to return to the Spanish. Guerrero chose to stay with the Maya.

In this episode of The Mysteries of the Americas, we follow the remarkable story of Gonzalo Guerrero, from the shipwreck that changed his life to his transformation from Spanish soldier to a man who fought alongside the Maya during the Spanish conquest.

But Guerrero's story also comes with unanswered questions. Some details appear in early Spanish accounts. Others became part of his story much later. We'll look at what the historical sources actually tell us, what remains uncertain, and why Gonzalo Guerrero became such a fascinating and complicated figure in the history of Mexico and the Americas.

The Mysteries of the Americas explores the myths, legends, history, and mysteries of the Americas, from the ancient civilizations of Mexico and Indigenous histories to forgotten people, disputed origins, migrations, archaeology, and the stories connecting people across the Americas.

Follow The Mysteries of the Americas on Spotify for more stories from across the Americas.

Are Michigan and Michoacán connected, or do their names simply sound alike by coincidence?

In this episode of The Mysteries of the Americas,we investigate one of the most fascinating questions sent in by viewers.

Although Michigan and Michoacán sound remarkably similar, historical linguistics asks a much bigger question: what does it actually take to prove that two place names share a common origin?

Together we'll explore:

• The Nahuatl origins of thename Michoacán
• Why the Purépecha homeland came to be known by a Nahuatl name
• The Ojibwe word mishigamiand how it became Michigan
• Indigenous trade networks across North America before European contact
• Why similar-sounding words often have completely different origins
• What historical linguists actually look for when comparing languages
• The remarkable histories of the Purépecha and the Anishinaabeg

Along the way, we'll examine archaeology, oral traditions, migration stories, colonial history, and the evidence available today.

Whether the names are connected or not, the search for an answer opens the door to two remarkable Indigenous histories and reminds us how much of the Americas' past is still waiting to be rediscovered.

If you enjoyed this episode, follow The Mysteries ofthe Americas and leave a rating or review. It helps more people discover the remarkable myths, histories, and mysteries of the Americas.

Chicomoztoc—"The Place of the Seven Caves"—is one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in the history of the Aztecs.

For centuries, historians, archaeologists, and Indigenous traditions have debated where this legendary homeland may have been. Was it a real place? A symbolic origin story? Or could traces of it still exist somewhere in northern Mexico or the American Southwest?

In this episode of The Mysteries of Latin America, Andrew explores the ancient Mexica migration story, the Codex Boturini, archaeological evidence, oral traditions, and the leading theories surrounding Chicomoztoc. Along the way, we examine ideas ranging from central Mexico to the deserts of the American Southwest while separating historical evidence from speculation.

Whether you're fascinated by Aztec history, Mesoamerican archaeology, Indigenous migration stories, or the mysteries of ancient civilizations, this episode brings together the evidence behind one of the Americas' greatest historical puzzles.

Topics include:

• Chicomoztoc (The Seven Caves)
• Aztlán and the Mexica migration
• Aztec history and mythology
• Codex Boturini
• Mesoamerican archaeology
• Indigenous oral traditions
• Ancient Mexico
• Southwestern United States migration theories
• Lost civilizations and historical mysteries

If you enjoy history, mythology, archaeology, and the unsolved mysteries of Latin America, follow the show for new episodes every week.

For centuries, the Mexica people, often called the Aztecs, told the story of a homeland known as Aztlán. According to their traditions, they migrated south before eventually founding the great city of Mexico-Tenochtitlan.

But where was Aztlán?

One of the most surprising theories places it far from Mexico, in what is now Wisconsin. Supporters point to the ancient site of Aztalan, similarities in place names, migration traditions, and archaeological mysteries that continue to spark debate.

In this episode, Andrew Colón examines the evidence behind the Wisconsin theory, the arguments against it, and what historians, archaeologists, linguists, and Indigenous traditions can tell us about the origins of the Mexica people.

You'll learn about:

• The Mexica migration story and the search for Aztlán
• The ancient site of Aztalan in Wisconsin
• Indigenous migration traditions and oral histories
• Archaeological evidence from North America
• The role of language in tracing ancient migrations
• The strengths and weaknesses of the Wisconsin hypothesis
• Why the mystery of Aztlán remains unsolved

Whether Aztlán was a real place, a symbolic homeland, or something in between, this story offers a fascinating look at one of the greatest historical mysteries in the Americas.

Welcome to The Mysteries of Latin America. My name is Andrew, and what I do here is tell the stories of the myths, legends, history, and mysteries of the Americas, so those of us with roots in the region know our own stories — and those who don’t can finally understand them.

A hidden Maya city called El Jefeciño has just been documented in Quintana Roo, Mexico near the Belize border during work connected to the Tren Maya project.

Located south of Tulum and within the greater Maya region connected to sites like Chichén Itzá and Palenque, archaeologists with INAH say the ancient Mayan site includes dozens of structures, funerary evidence, vaulted rooms, painted walls, and possible links to major Maya cities like Tikal in Guatemala.

In this episode, we explore the discovery of El Jefeciño, how the Tren Maya helped reveal previously undocumented Maya ruins beneath the jungle, and how LiDAR technology is transforming Maya archaeology and our understanding of Maya history across Mexico and Central America near Cancún, Tulum, and beyond.

If you're new here, what we do here on the channel is tell stories about the myths, legends, histories, mysteries, and ancient discoveries of the Americas that still mean something to us today.

If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining the channel and contributing to the conversation below.

Photo credits: Karina Blancas, Sonny Ojeda, INAH, and Tren Maya. Maya arch drawing by Paul Bailly for the BRASS/El Pilar Program. Some AI-generated images were added for illustrative purposes only.

Montezuma was NOT the last Aztec emperor.

I’m not saying that to be professorial—I didn’t know it.

And I definitely didn’t know the full extent of Cuauhtémoc’s role in thefate of Tenochtitlan.

I must admit, all I really knew about him was “le quemaron los pies”…and that he was a warrior and a leader. That was it.

I had no idea he was the LAST EMPEROR OF TENOCHTITLAN.

And I had no idea what happened to him after he was captured… how far he wastaken from his home, what was done to him, and how even today there’s stilldebate about where he’s actually buried. If he’s buried at all.

This is one of those stories that changes how you see the end of the AztecEmpire… or more accurately, the Mexica Empire.

Because the story most of us learned?

It leaves a lot out.

You asked for this one on my last set of reels, so I went down a bit of a tochtli ōztōtl with it.

Thanks for voting for this one—more coming on the other Icons of IndigenousResistance vs Spain.

—Andrew