Free Republic

Was the 1521 surrender of the great Indigenous empire to the Spanish crown a triumphant conquest, an existential tragedy—or even a genocide? The remains of a massive cypress tree sits inside a small plaza in Mexico City, surrounded by fencing and illuminated by four spotlights at night. An old sign explains its significance: “This is the tree where Hernán Cortés wept after being defeated by the Aztec defenders.” We Mexicans call it El Árbol de la Noche Triste, or The Tree of the Sad Night, and learn about it since grade school from government-issued history textbooks. The story goes something...

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New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez continued to defend herself against claims promoted by Donald Trump, Jr. and others that she changes her accent to pander to minority audiences. In a string of Saturday evening tweets, the first-term Democrat wrote that her habit of "code-switching" was informed by years of navigating professional and social environments as a woman of color. "Next time you‘re told straight hair is 'unprofessional' and that speaking like your parents do is 'uneducated,' then you can complain about code-switching," she wrote, referring to the practice of changing speech patterns based on environment. "Code-switching is a tool communities...

Tunnels under Cusco Early chroniclers reported that by far the greatest amount of treasure in Cusco was in the Sun Temple (Koricancha). However, it disappeared before the conquistadors could get hold of it and melt it down. Despite the use of various forms of persuasion, the Spanish never found this horde. A team of investigators from Spain, using modern technology of radar and software producing 3D images, have suggested that there are tunnels connecting the former Incan temples (over which colonial churches were built) to Sacsahuaman. They have discovered the existence of huge tunnels over 5 metres deep under the...