All language subtitles for Historys.Greatest.Warriors.S01E08.The.Aztecs.1080p.HULU.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-RAWR_track3_[eng]

Raised in a world
of pain and bloodshed...

Their enemies:
skinned alive, beheaded...

Hearts being ripped out.

Forged for fearless battle.

The Spaniards see
the temples...

awash in blood.

They're terrified.

Trained for
merciless assault.

This is what the gods demand.

The Aztec warrior...

defeats all.

Warriors aren't born...

they're built.

Understanding how reveals the

true nature of
their greatness.

From the cradle
to the grave,

these are the steps
to creating...

History's Greatest Warriors.

The Aztec warrior...

fierce and committed
to bloodshed,

for his ruler
and the gods.

The Aztecs are one
of the most sophisticated

civilizations in
human history.

They have a military force,

which was extremely
effective,

and which allowed them to
build the greatest empire

that had ever existed
in that part of the world.

The Aztecs flourished
in about

the 13th to the
16th century,

and they were
the last major empire

in Mesoamerica.

At its peak,

the Aztec Empire
rules more than

5 million people

across 80,000
square miles...

from the Gulf of Mexico
to the Pacific Ocean.

What makes the
Aztecs such a tenacious and

frightening foe is...

their primary
goal is capture.

They need to utilize those
captures for sacrifices,

or other displays of
their prowess to

feed the gods.

Their enemies: being
skinned alive, beheaded.

Hearts being ripped out.

Pleasing the gods through
the system of sacrifice

is necessary for the
success and

lifespan of the
Aztec empire.

Without captives,
without sacrifice,

the gods will die.

If that doesn't sober you
to the power,

the audacity,

and the mental fortitude
of an Aztec, nothing will.

The journey to
becoming an Aztec warrior

will require years
of training,

marked by sweat...

and blood.

He must master the most
brutal weapons of his day...

And learn to destroy his
enemies through some of

the most terrifying
tactics in history.

And his path to
greatness begins

in what today is the
United States.

The Aztecs believe
that their ancestors came

from a place called Aztlan,
which is thought to be

somewhere in the
southwestern United States.

Sometime in the 13th century,

Aztecs trying
to escape

starvation and drought,

move further
south.

According to
their mythical histories,

their god,
Huitzilopochtli...

The God of War,
is leading them towards

a sort of promised land.

They're looking for a sign

where they'll see an
eagle devouring a snake.

So after many
years of searching,

they find this sign in
the sizable Lake Texcoco,

in the Valley of Mexico.

Around 1298,

the Valley of Mexico
is quite a crowded place,

and there are settlements
all around the outside.

Over time,
they try to find a...

a place to build
their new city.

They choose
a location that

today is Mexico City.

They establish the
capital city of Tenochtitlan

on this island in the middle
of Lake Texcoco

around the year 1325.

They come up with
the innovation of chinampas.

They're able to
utilize these floating gardens

for growing crops
that ultimately become the

building block for the
formation of this

great Aztec society.

The Aztecs turn it
into the greatest city that

has ever existed, arguably
in all of the Americas.

And they cover that
island with canals.

They build causeways
in a way that also

allows them to
defend their city.

Farming and war
determine the rhythm

of Aztec existence.

Aztec society
is based around

the demands of agriculture.

And so you don't go to war
in the planting season.

You fight during
the dry season.

The Aztecs
are embroiled in

constant warfare,
struggling to fend off

rival groups like the
Tepanecs to the west,

and Huaxtecs to the east.

The Aztecs are
subjected to the Tepanecs,

a large power
in the region.

And in 1428, the Tepanecs
have a civil war,

which puts their
power in jeopardy.

And so the Aztecs of
Tenochtitlan get together

with two other cities to
form the Triple Alliance.

That alliance allows them

to become dominant
in the region.

They essentially
pool their resources together

to go out and
conquer more people.

It is the moment
when the Aztecs begin

rising to power in the
Valley of Mexico.

They rewrite all their
histories as led by the

God of War, where they will
conquer territories

from sea to sea.

They need to make
military activity a very

important part of
their life,

because they are
a people that live

on a rocky island in
the middle of the lake.

How are they going to
get access to food?

The answer is conquest.

The Aztecs use their
alliance to defeat rivals

and build an empire.

This allows them to
raise troops to

expand that empire
even further.

When the ruler
needs to amass an army,

he goes to allied cities
or subject cities,

and demands their troops.

How big
that Aztec army is-

By one of these
accounts says 400,000.

Even if it's a
quarter that size,

that's an enormous
number of men.

An army brutal
enough to crush all enemies,

needs a warrior wholly
devoted to the Aztec empire...

And, the gods.

To ingrain this loyalty
in their forces,

the Aztec warrior is shaped
from the moment of birth.

In all the most
successful militaristic

civilizations,
training from birth...

is a must.

The Aztecs make sure
that young men know

what their place is in Aztec
society and culture.

And that is,
as warriors.

And so, the babies are
pricked to remind them that

they are going to
bleed for their nation.

For boys,
the umbilical cord is cut,

and carried by
experienced warriors,

and buried on the battlefield.

Knowing that the
fate of their god and the

empire is on their shoulders,
the journey of the

Aztec warrior continues
through childhood.

The process of
building a warrior involves

hardening the body to pain
in a way

so that that fear is gone.

It can be faced
confidently in battle.

From a young age,

they restrict the
access to food.

That is meant to encourage
the ability to become

skilled hunters,
to be resilient.

The children,
when they get slightly older,

are expected to conform to
the strict disciplines

of Aztec culture.

Parents use punishments
like burning chillies

to make their eyes water,

or pricking them with
cactus spines.

The purpose is to make sure
that children stay in line,

that they are disciplined,

that they are
self-disciplined.

The future
warrior is first exposed

to physical competition.

Veteran warriors
are bringing those children

at a young age to learn
how to fight in combat.

If a
child fares well,

their instruction to be a
warrior will then continue.

The next step...

is exposure to
ritual sacrifice.

All of society
feels part of warriorhood,

and they do that through
festivals which take place

on the temple.

There are many
activities that take place

during the festivals that
involve singing, dancing...

But there are also executions.

The most
famous is the

Festival of the
Flaying of Men.

Aztecs have a
round, sacrificial stone,

and they tether a captive
to the stone by their ankle,

and give them
weakened weapons.

The Aztec warriors aren't
actually trying to kill them,

they're trying to slice them,
so that blood runs

from their cuts onto the
sacrificial stone.

Eventually, the priests
take him and

remove his heart to be
given to the gods.

It is the Aztecs'
duty to feed the gods,

who continue to
keep life moving.

And the energy to
do that comes from the blood

and hearts that are fed
through human sacrifice,

in order to prevent the
world coming to an end.

Ritual sacrifices
help foster the

warrior mindset he will
need for warfare.

They're no
strangers to blood and guts.

Warriors learn at a
young age that

this is what it means
to be strong.

This is what
the gods demand.

By his teens,

a future Aztec warrior
is ready to begin

one of the most
arduous military training

regimens in history.

Since childhood,
the Aztec youth has been

exposed to combat
and sacrifice.

Now it's time for him
to formally train

to reach warrior status.

All young men-

whether they end up
being priests,

or elite warriors,
or farmers, or craftspeople-

everybody has to
be trained and

prepared to go on campaign.

Sources indicate that
their training

generally starts
at age 15.

Some nobles could bring
their kids in at age six.

There's warrior schools
that offer

education in how
to fight in combat.

You are learning
how to fight,

how to develop
strength, and...

the ability to strengthen
both your body and your mind

to prepare you for the
inevitability of going into war.

The young fighter
needs to train his body to

move quickly among the enemy.

Aztecs
don't have horses,

there are no
beasts of burden.

They had to train
to run very fast.

Aztec military forces
had a need for speed.

The students
are assigned to

an instructing priest,
who then requires them

to very frequently
run up all of the

113 steps of the
Templo Mayor,

up and down repeatedly to
build that endurance

in their legs
and good cardio.

Young boys training
to become warriors

will be involved
in different games.

The Mesoamerican
ball game is known as

ullamaliztli by the Aztecs.

It's incredibly central
to their military life.

Much like
battle itself,

the game is a bloody
and brutal challenge,

involving speed,
agility, and toughness.

It is a
form of entertainment,

to bringing those young
men's physical achievements

into a public space where
people could watch them

and applaud it.

The ball is going
hard and fast.

So people are
often injured.

It's actually quite a
good training ground

for young warriors.

But it's
not just war games...

Recruits also learn
other valuable skills.

They're engaging in mock
battles with their schools.

Elite students, learning
how to decode smoke signals,

listening for certain, you know,
drum beats and trumpets.

Fires,
music, banners,

and also mirrors were
used to convey orders

on the battlefield, and they
must have been drilled in

what all of those
specific signals were.

Veteran warriors
are bringing their students

onto the battlefield to
get experience first-hand.

They're also showing them
how to take captives.

And those young apprentices
are also at the battlefield

to carry ammunition,

darts, and shields,
and stones.

So they're navigating the
chaos of the battlefield

and resupplying
the warriors.

They need their students
to test themselves.

If a young student can't
handle the trauma of

seeing people
screaming and dying,

and trying to
kill each other,

he's not going to be
able to survive

being in the Aztec army.

The apprentice also learns

key Aztec battle
strategies...

Like deception.

The Aztecs'
favorite battle strategy

is the feigned retreat.

An example of this is

with Moctezuma Ilhuicamina.

In 1454, he initiates
a campaign

to conquer the Huaxtecs.

The Huaxtecs
are an Indigenous group

from what are now the
modern-day states of

Veracruz and
San Luis Potosi.

They are seen as a
particularly ripe

source of tribute for the
Aztec emperors.

What the Huaxtecs don't
realize is Moctezuma

has hidden a contingent
of 2000 warriors,

who camouflage
themselves in foxholes.

So, the smaller part
of Moctezuma's force

makes it seem as if
they're going to lose,

and they start to flee.

You can imagine the Huaxtecs'
surprise and terror,

when in fact...

they're taken by complete
surprise by this

contingent of 2000 warriors,

and are either taken
captive or killed.

Once the young
warrior becomes adept

on land, the many rivers and
lakes of the region

demand that he become
expert on water as well.

Aztecs are an
incredibly sophisticated

waterborne fighting force,
fighting in canoes and

fighting on the water.

Quite large canoes
that could occupy

20 to 40 people
in each boat.

We're not talking about the
modern concept of a canoe.

These are larger boats that
are capable of transporting

weapons, goods, equipment,
as well as people.

So they master the
craft of building canoes

quickly in a way
strategically to

allow for troop movement.

They become expert swimmers.

They develop a knowledge of
plant life and animal life

in swamps that allow them,
ultimately,

to be more effective
than their rivals.

The trainee will
acquire amphibious tactics

that help the Aztecs
overwhelm their enemies.

One of the most
iconic instances in which

war boats are used by the
Aztecs is in 1433.

A young commander
is tasked with

besieging the town
of Cuitlahuac.

He takes young
warriors who are just

in training, and leads them
against the city.

And this is an
amphibious assault.

The entire dispute
is about the right

to use the water and
be in the water.

The city is
protected by the lagoon.

The commander takes with him

a fleet of war boats.

He's confident that he can
completely surround

the town by water...

and through barrages
of projectile fire,

forces a surrender.

And his victory is
so impressive that it

draws other cities into
alliance with the Aztecs.

Molded from
his first breath,

the successful Aztec
trainee becomes a

cunning, confident warrior
ready to do battle

alongside the
empire's elite.

As best we know,

Aztec boys are
fully educated,

and go out to fight
as warriors

when they're about
20 years old.

The expectation is
that you will go on to become

a great warrior to
defend the empire

and expand its borders.

But before he can
stand among the army's best,

But before he can
stand among the army's best,

the young warrior
must master

the empire's
weapons of choice.

The warrior's
success on the battlefield

is measured by the numbers
of captives he takes.

And, he needs all the
tools of war to do that.

The Aztecs have two weapons
that they used

in order to project spears
and stones.

A tematlatl
is essentially a sling,

about five feet long,

with a pouch at
the end of it.

Aztec children learn how to
use this at a young age

in order to hunt small game.

It's swung in a circular
motion over their heads,

and thrown

fairly great distances
with large force.

Another key
long-range weapon

in the Aztec's arsenal is
a spear launcher,

which uses projectile
dynamics to attack the

warrior's foe from an
extraordinary distance.

An atlatl, it's a tool
you hold in your hands,

and you place your spear or
some other type of weapon

in it, and then you would
launch it into the enemy.

Modern day tests
reveal that a skilled

Aztec warrior could
launch his spear at

an approaching enemy
800 feet away.

The physics
of this weapon allow you to

throw the spear
greater distances.

That atlatl spear,
it's gonna knock you back

as well as penetrate
into your skin.

But the weapon of
choice for the Aztec warrior

in hand-to-hand combat...

is a terrifying one...

capable of inflicting
gruesome damage...

The macuahuitl.

This weapon is
intentionally used to...

incapacitate and
capture people.

Nearly 3 feet
long, this deadly war club

is edged with 1-inch shards
of volcanic glass.

Aztecs do not have access
to things like gunpowder.

They don't have access
to advanced metallurgy.

What they have is
wood, cotton...

and volcanic glass.

Obsidian volcanic glass

is one of the
sharpest materials...

known to mankind.

At about 3 nanometers,
an obsidian knife

is 10 to 20 times sharper
than your average

household shaving razer.

Some records
that we have,

written after the
Spanish conquest,

tell us that the macuahuitl
could be so sharp that it

could lop off someone's
head with a single swing.

It does horrific
things to human flesh,

and can cut
through defensive

costumes and shields.

In all likelihood, most of
the Spaniards who die in the

Spanish-Aztec War,
die from infections from

wounds given to them by
the macuahuitl.

The Aztec warrior
uses the same glass

in his tecpatl,
a 6-inch dagger,

to slice into bodies and
to rip out hearts.

For defensive purposes,

Aztecs use a shield
called a chimalli.

So, the more high
ranking you are as a warrior,

the more elaborate your

costuming is going
to be in battle,

including very expensive,
feathered shields.

It might seem
like these chimalli shields

aren't going to protect you.

But underneath
the decoration...

is thick cotton padding,

reinforced by animal
hide and wood.

These shields are in fact
very effective at, say,

like stopping projectiles.

The chimalli shield is
about 5 or 6 pounds,

so it's extremely well
suited to quick

hand to hand combat.

A lot of times
they're fighting in more

jungle style environments,
so they have to be

very, very agile
and mobile.

The Aztecs wear
cotton armor that's been...

hardened by salt water or
other types of liquids.

It's stiffened to
prevent blows from

slashing weapons or, like,
lancing blows.

It's lightweight.

It makes a warrior very agile.

This is, say, in direct
contrast to the types of

armor that the Spaniards
wear into battle.

Their armor's
around 60 pounds.

In comparison, the Aztec
armor is quite light, like,

8 pounds or so.

It's actually very tough,
and it's sometimes called

the 'Mesoamerican Kevlar'.

When you have 60 pounds of
armor, it slows him down.

And you're also dealing
with the climate,

which can make him
very hot.

You do not want to fight
when you're dehydrated.

The Aztec warriors
will exploit this contrast in

armor styles against
a formidable new foe.

The Spanish
have been exploring

the coast of Mexico.

They hear rumors of a rich
city in the interior,

and so, they send an
expedition that can

find this city
and its riches.

In 1519,
Spaniards arrive

in the Valley of Mexico.

Hernán Cortés reveals
his intentions to the Aztecs

by attacking them in the
middle of one of

their sacred festivals.

This is the night
of the 30th of June 1520.

This event is
known as Noche Triste.

Sad Night.

The alarm is raised,

and the Aztecs raise the
bridges in the causeways,

making it harder for the
Spanish to escape

across the lake.

The Aztecs have
built their capital

to outwit invading forces.

There's a lot
of canals everywhere.

There's dead ends.

This is not typical of
what the Spanish would see.

What happens is that,
upon fleeing,

the Spanish conquistadors
fall into...

a lot of these
canals and waterways.

Spanish armor has
no, like, quick release.

There's no zipper!

You can't easily
take this armor off.

Once you're weighed down,
you're weighed down.

Many of the Spaniards,

as a result of the sheer
weight of the plate armor,

end up drowning.

Two thirds
of the Spaniards are killed.

Cortés estimated
2000 people died.

Some Spanish
forces are

taken as captives
and sacrificed.

They are decapitated...

and their skulls are
placed onto a skull rack,

right next to
the Templo Mayor.

Battles like
Noche Triste

reveal how the Aztec army

takes advantage of
their natural defenses.

But for the
individual warrior,

true glory comes through
capturing captives

in hand-to-hand combat.

The young Aztec
has trained for years,

and seen blood spilled on the
battlefield and on the altar.

Now, it is his time
to test himself.

When it comes to combat,

the Aztecs really
embody this

relentless desire to do
whatever it takes

to defeat their opponent,

and ensure the longevity
of their empire.

As the Aztec Empire
expands in the north,

it comes into conflict with
some fairly powerful...

city states.

What that
results in is,

a series of campaigns
by the Aztecs,

with hand-to-hand combat.

The Aztec's
training not only teaches

them how to fight, but
where to strike from.

You want to stake
your claim to the high ground

if you can, so that
you're running downhill...

and accompanied by a
lot of terrifying noise.

The Aztec warrior
presses forward

as he's been trained to do,
wielding his most

dangerous weapon,
the macuahuitl.

The idea is
to end the combat

as quickly as possible,
and procure captives.

So you need to be fast,
you need to be quick.

They're looking
to hit someone's wrist,

or elbow, or their knees,
or their ankles.

Areas where those obsidian
shards are long enough to

really prevent their enemy
from holding their weapons,

holding their shields...

ah, being able
to run away.

The glory the
Aztec warrior seeks requires

something far riskier
than a kill...

He attempts a capture.

The Aztecs can choose
to use the flatter part of

the club, and just
knock them out.

Or they can use the obsidian
part, which is very sharp.

What they're trying to do
is cut the legs of

their opponent, so that
they'll fall and

can be dragged off the
battlefield and

taken as captives
for sacrifice.

When
captives are taken,

usually their hands, possibly
their feet are bound.

Some sources indicate that
they are restrained by the

neck with some kind
of wooden device.

Or, they may be
then forced into cages to be

escorted and brought back
forcibly to Tenochtitlan.

The Aztec will now
feed his prisoner's blood

to the God of War...

taking a step closer
to earning renown

as an elite warrior.

Not all captives are equal
in the minds of the Aztecs.

You want to capture
the best warrior,

because this not only will

harm your enemy's army,

it also increases your
status as a warrior.

I am going to be promoted,
whether it be priest or

warrior, by how many
captives I take.

Now, once you have
acquired four captives,

you can ascend the ranks and
become potentially

a jaguar or eagle warrior.

They are the same rank.

Eagle warriors would wear
clothing covered

in feathers,
and eagle heads.

Jaguar warriors
wear jaguar skins,

and also have helmets
fashioned like a jaguar head.

And that's all
part of terrifying the enemy

through past acts of glory...

killing and taking prisoners
on the battlefield.

If you're an enemy warrior,
and you see coming at you

an eagle warrior or
a jaguar warrior,

that should instill
fear in you.

Creating fear
among enemies is perhaps the

most terrifying of all
Aztec weapons...

One they are all too
willing to wield.

Fear...
Pain...

Death...

The Aztec warrior must master
them all to serve his rulers,

including one whose
legend endures.

Moctezuma II
becomes emperor in 1502.

He then seeks to
expand the empire.

But, some subject city
states also seek to

test his authority.

He discovers that some
Mixtec towns in

southern Mexico, in what is
today the state of Oaxaca,

are rebelling. They are
not paying their tribute.

Tribute is a
collection of goods

that are sent
to Tenochtitlan.

These could be
food goods...

Crops.

Textiles, featherworks,
precious stones.

Things that display
the power

of Aztec emperors.

Moctezuma is then
faced with a problem.

How is he going to bring
them back into the fold?

Moctezuma decides
to take action against the

Mixtec people,
some 300 miles away.

Moctezuma has sent
100 emissaries to get sand

that is needed, this special
sand for jewel working.

People in Tututepec
will show Moctezuma that

they will not subjugate
to him in any way.

They're not giving
him anything,

and they determine
in the end that

they will murder
the emissaries.

At some point,
the Aztec emperor

sends spies to infiltrate
and confirm the news.

And they find the
bodies of the emissaries

on the road.

Moctezuma is
enraged, of course,

and determines
to go to war.

Such flagrant dissent is
met with brutal force,

as the Aztec goes to
war to preserve his empire.

The people of
Tututepec are quite terrified

actually of what
might happen,

and they build five walls
of stone and brick

outside their city.

Moctezuma sends,

from Tenochtitlan
and allied cities,

perhaps as many as
400,000 warriors

against Tututepec.

They march some
300 miles...

And when they arrive there,
they find that the city is

defended by these walls
and by a great river.

Using their expertise in
amphibious warfare,

the Aztecs build boats
which they use

to cross the river.

The Aztecs
began by trying to

intimidate the defenders.

For example, the use
of drums and music.

Flashing them,
laughing at them.

Yelling out the
ways in which

they were going
to humiliate them,

and brutalize them
and their families

once they got
inside the city.

This happens at night,
so the people of Tututepec

don't realize
what's happening,

and by the time that
they recognize the threat,

the Aztecs have already
breached the walls.

They
completely raid the town,

and they burn
the royal houses.

When the Aztecs attack a
city with the intention to

subjugate it and
collect tribute,

they will allow the
residents to remain safe

if they peacefully surrender
and agree to the

terms of tribute collecting.

If the town does
not surrender,

the Aztec warriors are then
allowed to go in and

raid the city after
combat's done,

much like the Vikings would,
and collect loot.

They massacre most
of the people of the city.

Some sources say
they kill everyone over the

age of nine, and take
hundreds of captives

with them back
to Tenochtitlan.

Something took
place there that is

remembered generation
after generation.

To cause that much
bloodshed,

slaughter and
captive taking...

people will still remember:
This is what happens if you

rebel against the might
of the Aztec Empire.

After the enemy's fall,

the warrior's victory is
only complete when he can

feed the God of War,
with human sacrifice.

Large numbers of
the people of Tututepec

are taken as
sacrificial victims.

The captive is fed,

is treated in
an honored way,

and it's a way of entangling
the honor of the two men.

Then, on the day
of sacrifice,

the Aztec takes his
captive to the temple,

accompanies him to his death,
and he is sacrificed

at the summit
of the pyramid.

The ritual
sacrifice is a

slow and bloody process,

and it starts with the
captive's heart.

The reason for extracting
a captive's heart is,

of course, to make an
offering to the gods.

The heart contains one of
three souls, the Teyolia.

And the Teyolia is
essentially divine fire.

And so, it's offered to
the gods as this

extremely precious substance

that contains a portion
of your soul.

And so, it is, again,
to repay the gods

for putting the world
into motion,

for keeping the
world from chaos.

The body is cut up.

The skull goes to be
on the skull rack,

and the rest is taken home
by the warrior,

where it will be cooked and
ceremonially cannibalized.

It's extremely horrible.

But at the same time,

it carries really deep
spiritual meaning.

It's not only to
honor Huitzilopochtli,

the war god, but it's also
a pretty good intimidation

tactic for anyone who is
brought into the city and

forced to watch this.

It's about
demonstrating how much

divine power you
are able to deploy.

If we can sacrifice
this many people,

how powerful
must our gods be?

But the Aztec
Empire's dominion

can't last forever.

Soon, its warriors will
confront an enemy

more daunting than any
he has ever faced.

The Aztec Empire
creates the most powerful

warriors Mesoamerica
has ever known.

Driven by divine purpose,

it rules for 200 years.

But then, in 1519...

A new threat appears.

The Spanish arrive at
modern day Veracruz,

led by Hernán Cortés.

At first, the
Aztecs are hearing,

from their massive empire,
some whispers of

these men in iron,
horses...

things that make
massive explosions.

Who wouldn't be curious?

They're seeing armor
for the first time.

Guns, for the first time.

You can imagine from the
perspective of the Spaniards,

they see the temples...

awash in blood.

They're terrified.

The Spanish
know that the Aztecs

are fearsome warriors.

They can only be
defeated by using

other Mesoamerican warriors.

Cortés is then
enabled to gain

tens of thousands of men

as he's proceeding
to Tenochtitlan.

Moctezuma invites the
Spanish into the city,

and hosts them.

Many sources suggest that
Moctezuma and Cortés

actually develop
quite a close relationship.

Cortés is going to
see them as the key empire

to conquer, because
of their wealth,

because of their prestige,
because of their standing.

After the
Spanish defeat during the

June 1520 Noche Triste,

Spain regroups.

10 months later,

its conquistadors strike
back and invade.

And this time,
obsidian weapons are

no match for
Spanish steel.

Cortés has...

an abundance of resources
to construct brigantines

that are used
to blockade the city,

and then prevent
the Aztecs from receiving

fresh water and food,
or even from

reaching out for help
from any of their allies.

People are
eating bark and leather

in order to try and survive.

The Aztecs must
also fight something else

the enemy brings to the
battlefield:

disease.

Fortune
favors the Spanish,

because smallpox is a
disease that the Aztecs

have no immunity against.

And It's utterly
crippling the population.

It's preventing them from
being able to fight back.

The Spaniards are ultimately
able to vanquish the Aztecs

in 93 days.

This cataclysmic
clash of cultures ultimately

results in the upset of
this great Aztec Empire.

After defeating the Aztecs,

Spain grabs a vast
swath of territory

known as New Spain.

Mexico City becomes
far larger

than it had
under the Aztecs.

Even under Spanish rule,

the Aztecs' warrior
culture casts a shadow,

one that will stretch
across the centuries.

Eventually people in
New Spain will look to

the Aztecs as their
ancient past, like certain

European peoples do with
the ancient Romans.

Sacrifice has
often dominated

the legacy of the Aztecs.

But for the Aztecs,
that was a necessity,

in order to prevent
the world ending.

And they built the most
astonishing, organized

military power base
in order to serve

that cosmological need.

The fact that
the Aztecs turned a rocky,

cactus-strewn island

into the capital of
a huge empire,

tells us something
about their...

perseverance, their ability
to organize themselves.

And it's one of the reasons
why we are still

talking about
the Aztecs today.

And ultimately,
what we celebrate

in Aztec culture is kind of
heroic tradition.

We see it in Latin
Afro hip hop.

We see it in
professional wrestling.

We see it in the
Mexican flag,

this kind of celebration of
the symbols of Aztec culture,

particularly this warrior
culture, which says:

"We are strong,
we are resilient.

We can't be beat."

Their ethos,
extraordinary courage,

discipline and
bold innovations...

earn the mighty Aztecs their
rightful place among...

History's Greatest Warriors.