- Josh Bernstein: ...Native Americans had been building pyramids, or mounds, for thousands of years. One of them, Cahokia, lay at the heart of a metropolis of 50,000 residents. Until its collapse in the 14th century, it was a large empire, as complex as any medieval European city-state. But by the time Hernando de Soto and the Spanish Conquistadors arrived, the power of the Mississippians was greatly reduced.
- Josh Bernstein: The Spanish didn't just bring guns. They also had many other weapons never seen by the natives, like steel swords, crossbows and, most importantly, horses. The horse was the most powerful psychological weapon in the Spanish arsenal.