In this episode we jump back to Europe in order to understand how the change of Spanish dynasties, from Trastámara to Habsburg, radically changed the trajectory of world history and foreshadowed the profound structural problems that would hamst

The Four Horsemen, Part II

Mar 1st, 2023 59m 42s

In this episode we finally cover the initial conquest and colonization of Cuba, from the aftermath of Christopher Columbus' death all the way to the early colonial period in the 1520s. This is a story that you will probably not find anywhere el

Episode 5: The Four Horsemen, Part I

Oct 10th, 2022 57m 40s

In this episode we cover the colonization of the Caribbean from 1492-1507. This is a sort of 'special' episode on Columbus and his role in this key period in Cuba's history. While the episode discusses his role as a navigator, it also focuses

Colonization Before Columbus

Jan 12th, 2022 47m 44s

In this episode we learn how different Iberian Christian kingdoms expanded, explored, and colonized before Columbus ever set foot in the Americas. We also finally bring the story up to 1492.

Antediluvian, Part II

Jun 4th, 2021 1h 2m

And we're back! Continuing Episode 2's look at pre-colonial Cuba, this episode looks at the daily lives of the Taino. Here I cover their politics, town layouts, social organization, culture, food, trade, and religion.

Antediluvian, Part I

Aug 31st, 2020 54m 47s

This episode is an introduction to the world of the Taino, the largest indigenous group on the Greater Antilles. First, the sources we have for understanding it and, second, the broad cultural frontiers that define it. This is part I, with the

Orígenes: A Cuban History Podcast

Jan 18th, 2020 20m 23s

In this episode we look at Cuba's geography, not simply as a space where things happened but as a dynamic place, whose features would shape how Cubans interacted with it and which Cubans would shape in turn.