All language subtitles for Butterfly.Effect.S02E04_English

- [Announcer] October 12th 1992,

Tenochtitlan region Mexico,

the president of the
Meso-Amercian Federation

has personally traveled to
the heart of the Templo Mayor.

This is the day when
the entire Aztec nation

celebrates a symbolic return
of their great God
Quetzalcoatl

the feathered serpent.

Having emerged victorious
from the dreadful period

of the great Spanish
invasions of the 16th century.

The Aztec empire has
preserved it's independence

by developing it's economy
with European trading companies

it was able to
unite it's peoples

and create a
powerful federation.

(sweeping music)

Today united cities
govern the whole

of the South American continent

and now Coatl is the
official language.

But none of this ever happened,

in 1520 a tiny grain of
sand will decide the fate

of the empire and
bring about the death

of the Aztec culture.

Our history is no more than a
series of incredible events.

Every one of us can
influence it's course.

(intense music)

The most infinitesimal of
our decisions can influence

the future of humanity,
to know the past

is to foresee the future.

November 18th, 1518, Hernan
Cortez, Spanish conquistador,

sets out totally illegally
for the coast of the Yucatan.

June 30th, 1520, during
a dark and rainy night,

Cortez is snatched from the
jaws of death by two of his
men.

August 13th, 1521, Quo-ti-mok,
the last Aztec emperor

is captured and tortured,
the Aztec empire collapses.

These three intimately
connected events

are the key moments in
the conquest of Mexico

by Hernan Cortez and
his conquistadors.

1504, at the end of an
interminable two month
crossing,

raiding the Atlantic ocean,
the Spanish crowns convoy

finally comes within
sight of it's destination.

Hispaniola, the
modern island of Haiti

and the Dominican Republic.

Aboard one of the ships a
young Castilian nobleman,

Hernan Cortes is coming to
try his luck on this colony.

Lost some 6,500 kilometers
from his native Spain.

Because although Christopher
Columbus had claimed

the Caribbean in the name of
the kings of Spain in 1492,

the american continent
remains, for the Europeans,

a land of adventure where
everything is possible.

This is the new world.

Since the beginning
of the 15th century,

Portugal has been out
to discover the world,

braving the unknown,
these intrepid explorers

have sailed the coast
aboard their ships,

gone up rivers, mapping
every shore and every island.

In 1492, sailing to establish
a new trade route to the east,

the explorer Christopher
Columbus found his way blocked

by a considerable obstacle,

America.

Spain immediately set upon
the colonization of Hispaniola

and then Cuba.

In these new territories
everything had to be created,

they needed men who were
daring and fearless.

For them such a voyage is a
promise of glory and wealth.

Like Cortes, they set
sail in their hundreds

on an adventure that was
both exotic and perilous.

Though these territories
were not virgin,

they are peopled
by native tribes.

(shouts)
(guns fire)

Appointed secretary to the
Spanish governor of Cuba,

Cortes takes part in the
conquest of the island.

Starting from very
little, he is soon rich

but this comfortable
situation
is not enough for him.

He is fascinated by
the fabulous accounts

of the great navigators
who set out to explore

the limits of the world.

When the governor suggests he
lead an exploratory expedition

of the Mexican coast,
he jumps at the chance.

The sale of his lands
and loans enable him

to recruit hardened seamen

but most importantly,
to purchase a a
maximum on armaments.

Because Cortes secretly
envisages every possibility,

in particular that of
conquering new territories

in the name of
the Spanish crown.

Suspicious, the governor
immediately order

that Cortes is stripped
of his command.

Too late.

Cortes has already
weighed anchor.

His course set for
Mexico, totally illegally.

- [Woman] Welcome to
the memory of humanity.

Here we can control time,
analyze and compare billions

of events and alter them to
rewrite history endlessly.

All the events in our history,
however minute they might be,

are memorized and
interconnected.

It only requires one to be
changed for all the others

to be shaken to the core.

From his very first step man
has the thirst for discovery.

A fascination for the
unknown has often driven him

to go further,
beyond the horizon.

To cover distance, he was
long limited by his own legs.

Then he domesticated
horses, built ships,

invented the wheel.

Ever since antiquity,
sailing the high seas

has been dangerous but
in the 15th century

they developed ships that were
stronger, more maneuverable

and able to face the
fury of the oceans.

The caravel, a
Portuguese invention,

was perfect for exploration.

It was this that enables
Christopher Columbus

to achieve his exploit.

Today, increasingly advance
techniques bring fresh
frontiers

within our reach.

From the oceans of business,

to the planets of
the solar system,

we have the technological
resources to enter into

a new age of exploration.

Our only limit

is our daring.

- [Announcer] 11 ships,
518 fighting men,

14 cannons, 16
horses, and a few dogs

set out to conquer the unknown.

Cortez, impromptu
and illegal warlord,

knows that he can
no longer turn back.

But if he returns
laden with wealth

the king will pardon
his insubordination.

He has turned into a
conqueror, a conquistador.

He is condemned to
succeed or to die.

1519 off the coast of Yucatan,

for the explorers the
coast means virgin forest,

poisonous snakes and disease.

Cortes knows that he
will soon need assistance

in particular for his
supply of provisions.

He is hoping to find
hospitality with one

of the many native
tribes along the coast.

(shouts)
(arrow flies)

(gun fires)

The Spanish cavalry and their
steel weapons wreak havoc

among the enemy warriors.

For the Amer Indians these
men with the white skin

seem to have surged
up from the ocean.

In return for a
promise of peace,

the Amer Indians offer
tribute, food, gold and
slaves.

Among them is Malensin.

Whom the Spanish
name, La Malinche.

The slave is beautiful,
intelligent and cultivated.

She speaks several
languages, notably

that of the great
civilization
that the conquistadors

will soon discover,

the Aztec empire.

The Aztecs are one of
the many Indian peoples

of Central America.

Over the last century they
have carved out an empire

of eight million
souls with the blades

of their obsidian swords.

From their capital
Snochtitan, they rule

over the greater part of Mexico.

Legend has it that when
pursued by their enemies,

the Aztec sought refuge
on a swampy island

in a middle of a great lake.

An eagle, grasping a
fruit in it's talons

was taken as a
sign from the gods,

one day a great Aztec city
will arise here, Snochtitlan.

Since then they have
imposed their will

and their religion on almost
all of the neighboring
tribes.

Every city newly conquered
must adopt the worship

of Huitzilopochtli, the great
Aztec god of war and the sun.

To enable the gods
to be able to exist,

their thirst must be
slaked with human blood.

Devastating raids are
conducted on the villages.

The objective. Bring back the
greatest number of prisoners

and then offer
them as sacrifices.

Dragged to the
summit of a pyramid,

the victim is held
down on a stone slab

and his chest is
brutally opened,

his still beating heart
is torn out by hand

and offered to the sun.

- [Woman] The fortress city,

Snochitlan is an
architectural audacity.

Because when they built
their capital in the middle

of the great lake Tex-coco,
the Aztecs were faced

with a host of challenges.

In the heart on the rocky
island stand the temples,

the imperial palaces
and the pyramids.

A major part of the city
was built on the waters

by creating terraces of
reeds, fixed with stakes

and covered with earth.

There in particular, we find
fertile plantations of corn

and tomatoes.

Two aqueducts bring
in fresh water,

drains carry away the waste
water and garbage is recycled.

Huge jetty's interspersed
with bridges,

provide access to the dry land.

A complex system of
canals and dykes controls

the water level and
prevents flooding.

When the Spanish arrive the
city extends to 900 hectares

and has up to 200,000 residents

which makes it one of the
biggest cities in the world.

Today, on the same
side as that city

sits Mexico city.

- [Announcer] A few hundred
conquistadors against millions

of natives.

Cortes makes a rapid
assessment of the situation.

However the Aztec empire is
a giant with feet of clay.

Founded on submission it
demands total obedience

from the other Amer
Indian peoples.

And will not forgive
a single fault.

There are many tribes who
can no longer stand this.

Cortes knows it and
will play a clever hand.

He presents himself as an
alternative to the Aztecs.

Meanwhile, what the Aztec
emperor, Moctezuma II,

doesn't know what attitude to
adopt towards his newcomers.

Enemies? Allies? Gods?

Cautious, he allows
the Spaniards to live

for the moment.

As translator and advisor,
La Malinche enables Cortes

to forge precious alliances

with the peoples under
Aztec domination.

Gradually the
Spanish army swells.

After two months of
travel and negotiations,

Cortes finally arrives
within view of the capitol,

Snochtitlan.

Montezuma finally decides
to invite them to meet him.

Watched by Aztec warriors

the conquistadors
cautiously advance.

On guard they are awed by
the magnificence of the city.

The meeting of the two
chiefs is one of two worlds.

Everything sets them apart,

nevertheless Montezuma
offers hospitality.

The Spaniards find themselves
in a strange situation.

Having come to seize
new territories

they are invited in peacefully.

Cortes in the heart
of an alien city

surrounded by natives who
practice human sacrifice

does not know what to do.

He has several options.

But he decides to play
his most insane card.

He awaits the right
moment and suddenly takes

Emperor Montezuma
the second hostage.

His calculation is simple,
by striking off the head

of the empire, he believes
that the Aztecs will
surrender.

This shows ignorance
of Aztec society

because nobody can
understand what Cortes wants.

The situation is a stalemate.

Meanwhile, a Spanish counter
expedition has landed

on the Mexican coast with
orders for the immediate
arrest

of the outlaw conquistador.

Cortes leaves a small
troop in place and sets out

to face his compatriots.

In Snochtitlan, fearing an
uprising, the Spanish garrison

cut off, massacres several
thousand Aztec nobles.

When Cortes, having obtained
a miraculous victory,

returns to the capital,
the situation has changed.

The city is out of control,

with the surviving
conquistadors besieged

in the imperial palace.

During the course of
events, Montezuma is killed.

The conquistadors have no
choice, they have to flee

and flee fast.

June 30th, 1520,

on a rainy night, the
conquistadors abandon the
city.

Laden with gold, they must
reach the gates of the city

and then in darkness,
cross the vast causeway

across the lake.

Overwhelmingly outnumbered,

stealth and speed
are their best cards.

But the Aztec army quickly
throws itself upon them.

Looming out of the mist,
thousands of Indians attack

the fleeing column.

The Spaniards have
walked into hell.

Their only chance of
survival is to hack away

through to the dry land.

Some of them, weighed
down with gold,

die by drowning in the
depths of the swamps.

Others are captured and will
be offered as sacrifices

to the gods.

Cortes himself is unhorsed.

Two of his men save him
in the nick of time.

Breathless, decimated, the
survivors finally set foot

on dry land.

Cortes has just
lost half his army.

- [Woman] We have just
reached a turning point.

A turning point is a key
event,
a cross roads in our history

where the world swings
one way or the other.

What would have happened
if Cortes had been killed

during the noche triste?

The chief was incontestably
the moral pillar

of the conquistadors.

Without him panic and distress
would have overwhelmed

the survivors.

The troop in disarray
would never have been able

to face up to the Aztec army.

Those who escaped would
have ended their journey

on a stone table at
the top of a pyramid.

The failure would have
turned Cortes's audacity

into madness.

His successors would have
shown much more caution.

There would have been
no more conquest.

The Aztec empire could
quite possibly have survived

to our day.

In the 20th century, it would
be a powerful federation

of Meso-American cities.

South America would be
speaking Amer Indian language.

- [Announcer]
Surrounded by enemies,

thousands of miles from home,

decimated and wounded,
the conquistadors know

they are facing their
own annihilation.

All hope of flight is vain.

Upon arrival in the new world.

Cortes had dismantled his
ships
in preparation for this day.

Cortes is now caught
in his own trap.

Their Amer Indian allies
are in a similar situation.

Slaughtered in the thousands
during the Snochtitlan debacle

they know they will never
obtain pardon from the Aztecs.

On July 7th, 1520, the
survivors are overtaken

and encircled by the Aztec army.

On the brink of the abyss
about to be submerged

beneath the wave
of the new warriors

13 riders risk all
and charge directly

at the Aztec commander.

Miraculously emerging
alive from the battle,

Cortes uses the respite
to regroup his forces

and retake the initiative.

On December 30th, 1520 he is
back before the Aztec capital.

With him are tens of thousands
of Amer Indian allies.

But this time ruse
would not be enough.

The conquistador adapts
a strategy and prepares

for a long siege.

He builds ships fitted with
firearms to carry out raids

on the capital.

But the Aztecs have learned
from their mistakes.

Attacks at night, traps
to foil the cavalry,

protection against
the musket balls,

the two worlds adapt
to one another.

The better to
destroy each other.

Faced with maniacal Aztec
defense, Cortes decides

to adopt a scorched
earth tactic.

Move from house to house,
burning everything in his
path.

Soon the last Aztec
forces are trapped

in the northern
quarters of the city.

August 13th, 1521,
Quotamuch the new emperor

is captured, the city is
almost entirely destroyed

with it dies Aztec resistance.

Cortes has just brought
down the empire.

- [Woman] Steel against stone.

The Aztec warriors
were redoubtable.

Hardened to combat by
almost permanent wars

they were combative and
had no fear of death.

But their weaknesses
stemmed from their equipment

and their fighting tactics.

The Ameri Indians had no
knowledge of iron or of
bronze.

Their arrowheads and their
swords were of obsidian,

a sort of flint carved and
sharpened but fragile on
impact.

They did not go to war
to kill their opponents

but to capture
them as sacrifices.

Opposite them the
conquistadors were bristling

with iron and the steel
blades of their rapiers

were both sharp and resilient.

Crossbows, muskets,
cannons and cavalry,

terrified and decimated
the Aztec ranks.

While their arrows could not
pierce the steel breast
plates.

The conquistadors were
almost invincible.

Especially as they fought
in a coordinated fashion.

Each covering the other.

They fought to kill
and to conquer.

Two visions of war for
two different worlds.

- [Announcer] Cortes and
his conquistadors were only

the first wave.

Christian missionaries
rapidly arrive.

Their mission is to convert
millions of Amer Indian pagans

to Christianity.

Willingly or by force.

Mexico is organized
and transformed into
a Spanish province.

Gradually ships laden with
cocoa, maize, peanuts,

vanilla, avocados and tomatoes
arrive from Central America.

Everybody, both Aztecs and
the conquistador's allies

are placed onto huge work farms.

But the Amer Indians are
no longer so numerous.

A successions of epidemics
has ravaged the population.

European diseases, such
as cholera and small pox,

have joined those already there.

Coco-lits-lee, the equivalent
of the European plague,

was already decimating
villages before the arrival

of the Spanish.

The crowded conditions
of the farm exploitations

did the rest.

In one century the total
population of Mexico fell

from 20 million to a
mere one million 600,000.

(rock music)

The Amer Indians
were the major losers

of the Spanish conquest.

But not the only ones.

The conquistadors were seeking
adventure, glory and wealth,

although adventure was awaiting,

return of the investment
of their sacrifices

was sharply below
their expectations.

Replaced by merchants,

they become the
veterans of another age,

old soldiers who had
sometimes committed atrocities

in the name of war.

Many of them will
end in poverty,

reminiscing nostalgically
about their hour of glory

to whoever will listen
over a table in a tavern.

Cortes himself is
trapped between his image

of a conqueror and that of
a blood thirsty warrior.

Today we still don't know
whether we should admire him

or condemn him.

Fallen into disgrace,
he dies of dysentery

on the second of December 1547.

Spain, a colonial empire,
becomes the world's major
power.

Trade is becoming global.

But that is another story.

- [Woman] When Christopher
Columbus landed on Hispaniola

there were 300,000 inhabitants.

50 years later there
were only a thousand.

92% of the Indian population
of Central America dies

in the whirlwind of
wars, and epidemics.

And yet, this tragic
episode for humanity

is still not recognized
as a genocide.

A genocide is the
systematic elimination

of a national, ethnic,
racial, or religious group.

An Ethnocide is the forceful
elimination of a culture.

They are collective
crimes that are planned

and perfectly intentional.

The disappearance of the
Aztecs was never the objective

of the Spanish authorities

but the consequence of the
conquest, ill treatment

and above all of epidemics.

Technically the
virtual disappearance

of the indigenous population
of Central America

is neither a genocide
nor an ethnocide.

Which does nothing to
alleviate it's horror.

Today we only officially
recognize four genocides.

They all belong to
the 20th century.

But fortunately
the Aztec culture

has not completely disappeared.

Cortes admired their
civilization and many
fundamental works

have been preserved by both
Aztec and Spanish
intellectuals.

In 1978 in the heart
of Mexico city,

archeologists uncovered the
ruins of the great Aztec
temple

of Tenochtitlan.

The Mexican people, profoundly
Hispanic and Catholic

were then reminded that
the blood of the Aztecs

runs in their veins.

(epic music)