Civilizations

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Narrator

On the eve of Spain's arrival, Central America was dominated by the Aztecs. Despite possessing writing, a sophisticated calendar, and a great skill at fashioning golden jewelry, they were about to meet men as bloodthirsty as any of the Aztec gods. (dramatic percussive music) The Spanish conquistadors were led by Hernan Cortes. (dramatic music) In tribute, the Aztec Emperor Montezuma sent him an image of their god Quetzalcoatl. (dramatic music) It's believed by many experts that this could have been one of the gifts that Montezuma gave to Cortes in that fateful meeting between the Emperor and the conquistador. It's known today as the double-headed serpent. It's a piece of carved wood that's been covered in a mosaic made up of hundreds and hundreds of tiny pieces of turquoise, each of them very precisely fitted into place. It's believed that it's a representation of the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl who was sometimes shown as a snake covered in the shimmering feathers of the quetzal bird. (slow thoughtful music) What we don't know is why. Why did Montezuma perhaps give this to Cortes? It could have been Montezuma believed that he could, with this and other gifts, appease the Spanish and save the Aztec Empire. (slow eerie music) -

Narrator

One reason often given for Montezuma's indecision was that he couldn't decide whether Cortes was a deadly enemy or the embodiment of Quetzalcoatl whose imminent return had long been prophesied. (dramatic music) (man speaks Spanish) (dramatic music) But the riches intended to buy off the Spanish only intensified their lust for gold and conquest. Mexico was swiftly and brutally conquered. As smallpox and flu ravaged the indigenous population, the artistic legacy of a great civilization was looted or melted down to fill the coffers of Spain. Then Catholic missionaries set about eradicating all traces of what they saw as a devil-worshiping culture of human sacrifice. (dramatic music) To break the bond between the people and the gods, they set about the wholesale obliteration of the Aztec religion. Hundreds of temples were destroyed, and on their ruins churches were raised. Sometimes they were built from the same stones. And thousands of statues to the Aztec gods were toppled and burned. (wondrous music) -

Narrator

But Aztec art and culture did not completely vanish. In fact, the very people tasked with erasing it from history were the ones who inadvertently preserved it.