Join the Arizona Historical Society and Dr. Andrés Reséndez for an installment of AHS Summer History Talks: Spanish Period in Arizona! This is a virtual program.

Cortés famously led campaigns that brought down the Aztec Empire in 1521. Far less known is his subsequent career as a silver baron and transpacific explorer. This presentation will focus on the connections between Spain’s mining activities in North America during the sixteenth century and the development of the Manila Galleon, as American silver sustained a durable transpacific relationship with silver-starved China.

Help us keep programming free! Consider registering as a supporter and making a $10 donation to the Arizona Historical Society.

Join us Saturday, June 21, 2025 from 10 am – 4 pm at the Arizona Heritage Center Tempe for a powerful Juneteenth celebration featuring discussion, storytelling, performances, and two afternoon genealogy workshops. Commemorate the day freedom was realized for many and reflect on what it means today. Refreshments on a first come, first serve basis.

Join the Arizona Historical Society and Dr. Matthew Restall for an installment of AHS Summer History Talks: Spanish Period in Arizona! This is a virtual program.

In a staircase mural in the old Mexican Embassy in Washington, DC, the Discoverer, the Conqueror, and the Emperor almost met. But in the end, only Columbus was preserved in paint, chosen over Cortés and Montezuma. Drawing upon a trio of his books, recent and upcoming, historian Matthew Restall uses the story of this mural to explore how the legends of these three men evolved over the past five centuries. Understanding that evolution, he argues, dramatically changes how we see much of the history of the Americas, from the Aztecs to the present day.

Help us keep programming free! Consider registering as a supporter and making a $10 donation to the Arizona Historical Society.