The Tehuantepec Route: America's Forgotten Trade Bridge

Trade Routes That Changed Human History Forever — Fexingo History · Aug 7, 2026 · 6m · transcript

Before the Panama Canal, there was the Tehuantepec Route—a land bridge across Mexico's narrowest point, where mule trains and later railways carried gold, silver, and goods between the Atlantic and Pacific. This episode traces the route's history from Aztec tribute networks to the 19th-century railway that made it a global shortcut. We explore the geography of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the plans of Hernán Cortés and later Mexican presidents, the engineering feats and failures, and the rivalry with the Panama Canal. Along the way, we meet figures like José de Garay, who dreamed of…