“Modern historical scholarship has little lenience for hyperbole, and any event that appears exaggerated is heavily scrutinised. The Spanish Conquest of Mexico provides ample folklore for historians to examine. One tale depicts renowned conquistador Pedro de Alvarado vaulting across a canal to escape certain doom. An episode since identified as the Salto de Alvarado (Alvarado’s Leap). Historians are now in broad agreement that Alvarado’s Leap is but a legend. Alvarado’s alleged narrow escape occurred during the Castilians’ withdrawal, known as the Noche Triste (Night of Sorrows), a crucial, indeed pivotal event in the Conquest of Mexico. However, what happened to the rear guard on that rainy, dark night on Calzada de Tlacopan (Tacuba Causeway) remains a mystery.”

This episode was written by Steven Scheuler.

Steven is a retired academic librarian after 21 years as an Associate Professor in the University System of Georgia. He has published a dozen Library and history-related articles, entries and reviews. He obtained a Master’s in History at the University of Nebraska, his area of study was Latin America with emphasis on 20th-century Latin American Revolutions. He is especially enthralled with the 16th-century Castellan Conquistadores and their amazing adventures in the New World. He now resides in St. Paul, Minnesota, with his lovely wife Shirley, golfing and reading when not travelling.