Secrets of the Dead (2000–…): Season 7, Episode 1 - Aztec Massacre - full transcript

HISTORY TELLS US
THE SPANISH EASILY CONQUERED

THE MIGHTY AZTECS.

THIS, OF COURSE, IS
A VERY ROSE-TINTED VIEW
OF THE REALITY.

BUT A GRUESOME FINDS
SUGGESTS HISTORY
MIGHT BE WRONG.

BONES FROM AN AZTEC GRAVE SITE
ARE PROVING THAT SPANIARDS

WERE CAPTURED,
SACRIFICED, AND EATEN.

Woman: THE PRIEST
WOULD TEAR
THE HEART OUT

AND OFFER IT
TO THE SUN.

Man: THIS WAS DONE TO
STRIKE DREAD

INTO THE HEARTS
OF THE SPANISH.

Announcer: "AZTEC MASSACRE"
ON "SECRETS OF THE DEAD."



CAPTIONING MADE POSSIBLE BY
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
AND FRIENDS OF NCI

"SECRETS OF THE DEAD"
WAS MADE POSSIBLE

BY CONTRIBUTIONS
TO YOUR PBS STATION FROM...

Narrator: ZULTEPEC, MEXICO.

ARCHEOLOGISTS MAKE
A GRISLY FIND.

400 SKELETONS BURIED
IN A MASS GRAVE.

THE BODIES HAVE LAIN
UNDISTURBED FOR 500 YEARS

SINCE THE TIME
OF THE SPANISH CONQUEST...

BUT THIS IS NO
ORDINARY GRAVE SITE.

THE REMAINS SUGGEST THESE PEOPLE
MET A GRUESOME END

AT THE HANDS OF THE AZTECS,

WHO RULED MESOAMERICA
IN THE 14th, 15th,
AND 16th CENTURIES.

BUT WHO WERE THE VICTIMS,
AND WHY WERE THEY KILLED?

ARCHEOLOGIST
ELIZABETH BAQUEDANO
HAS COME TO FIND OUT.



WHAT SHE UNCOVERS
WILL REWRITE HISTORY,

SHATTER OUR UNDERSTANDING
OF THE AZTECS,

AND REVEAL THE SHOCKING SECRETS
BEHIND THE MASSACRE AT ZULTEPEC.

WITH A POPULATION
OF MORE THAN 28 MILLION,

MEXICO CITY IS
THE LARGEST METROPOLIS

IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE,

THE SECOND BIGGEST CITY
IN THE ENTIRE WORLD.

IT'S A VIBRANT AND CHAOTIC MIX
OF MOVEMENT AND COLOR.

BUT THESE TEEMING STREETS ONCE
HAD A VERY DIFFERENT LOOK.

5 CENTURIES AGO,
THIS WAS THE CENTER
OF THE AZTEC WORLD.

A WANDERING TRIBE OF AZTECS
FROM THE NORTH

SETTLED ON THIS SWAMPY PART
OF CENTRAL MEXICO IN THE 1300s.

FROM MIGRATORY BEGINNINGS,
THEY ROSE UP TO RULE AN EMPIRE

FOR 300 YEARS.

THE AZTECS WERE FIERCE WARRIORS

WHO RUTHLESSLY CONQUERED
NEIGHBORING TRIBES

TO BECOME THE DOMINANT FORCE
IN THE REGION.

THEIR POWER AND FEROCITY
IS WELL-DOCUMENTED,

BUT THE SCOPE OF THE KILLINGS
AT ZULTEPEC HAS SHOCKED

EVEN THE MOST KNOWLEDGEABLE
AZTEC EXPERTS.

AT THE INVITATION
OF SCIENTISTS FROM THE SITE,

ELIZABETH BAQUEDANO
HAS COME TO INVESTIGATE

HOW THESE BODIES ENDED UP
IN THIS MASS GRAVE

AND HOW THE MASSACRE FITS
INTO OUR UNDERSTANDING
OF AZTEC HISTORY.

Baquedano: WHAT I'M HOPING TO DO
IS NOT ONLY TO FIND OUT

WHO THESE PEOPLE WERE
OR HOW THEY DIED

BUT TO ANSWER
A MUCH BIGGER QUESTION.

Narrator: THAT QUESTION
WILL LEAD ELIZABETH

TO AN UNLIKELY STORY
OF COLONIAL INVASION,

ARMED RESISTANCE,
AND HUMAN SACRIFICE.

RECORDS SHOW THAT SACRIFICE
WAS CENTRAL TO AZTEC CULTURE.

THE AZTECS PRACTICED THE RITUAL
WITH GREAT FREQUENCY,

USING THEIR ENEMIES
AS THE SACRIFICIAL LAMBS.

COULD THE BODIES
AT ZULTEPEC BE EVIDENCE

OF SOME MASSIVE
RELIGIOUS CEREMONY?

TO FIND OUT, ELIZABETH
MUST LEAVE MEXICO CITY

AND HEAD TO
THE EXCAVATION SITE ITSELF.

THE N-16 FOLLOWS
AN ANCIENT TRADE ROUTE

THAT ONCE CONNECTED WHAT IS
NOW THE MEXICAN CAPITAL

AND THE ATLANTIC COAST.

60 MILES DOWN THE BUSY HIGHWAY

BARELY NOTICEABLE
AT THE EDGE OF THE ROAD

LIES THE SCENE OF THE MASSACRE.

ONCE AN AZTEC STRONGHOLD,

THIS IS ALL THAT REMAINS
OF THE TOWN OF ZULTEPEC.

ENRIQUE MARTINEZ HAS SPENT
MORE THAN 15 YEARS

AS LEAD ARCHEOLOGIST
AT THE EXCAVATION SITE.

[SPEAKING SPANISH]

HIS BIGGEST BREAKTHROUGH WAS
THE DISCOVERY OF THE MASS GRAVE.

IT WAS AN INCREDIBLE FIND.

EVEN AFTER 500 YEARS
IN THE GROUND,

THE BODIES HAVE STORIES TO TELL
ABOUT HOW THEY ENDED UP HERE.

SO FAR, 400 HAVE
BEEN IDENTIFIED,

AND THE ARCHEOLOGISTS
CONTINUE TO UNEARTH MORE REMAINS

AS THEY EXCAVATE.

EACH BONE CONTAINS
IMPORTANT CLUES

ABOUT THE PERSON IT CAME FROM.

Translator: WE FOUND
SOMETHING HERE

THAT'S NOT JUST
A CORPSE.

ITS POSITION IMPLIES
THAT AFTER IT WAS
SCARIFIED

IT WAS MUTILATED.

THE PELVIS WOULD
HAVE BEEN CUT

ALONG
WITH THE FEMUR,

AND WE SEE THAT
THOSE PARTS ARE
NO LONGER THERE.

WITHOUT DOUBT,
THE LOWER LIMBS

HAVE BEEN LAID OUT
IN A SPECIAL
POSITION.

WE CAN SEE THAT SOME
VERTEBRAE ARE MISSING HERE.

THE PELVIS IS MISSING.

WE ALSO HAVE
THE FEMUR BONE MISSING,

SO WE HAVE CLEAR SIGNS
OF DISMEMBERMENT HERE.

Narrator: OTHER BODIES SHOW
SIMILAR SIGNS OF DISMEMBERMENT,

AND COMPARISONS REVEAL
A CONSISTENT PATTERN
OF MISSING BONES.

SKELETONS HAD BEEN DECAPITATED,

AND SPECIFIC BONES
HAD BEEN REMOVED.

THESE WERE NO ORDINARY BURIALS.

Translator: FROM
THE UPPER VERTEBRAE
TO THE COCCYX,

THE BONES ARE
DISORDERED.

WE SEE THAT THERE
IS NO CERVICAL
VERTEBRA.

AFTER HAVING BEEN
SACRIFICED
IN THE TEMPLE,

THIS INDIVIDUAL WAS
TAKEN HERE TO BE
MUTILATED

AND FOR PEOPLE
TO BEGIN SELECTING
THEIR TROPHY BONES.

THE WARRIOR WAS ALLOWED
TO KEEP CERTAIN PARTS
OF THE BODY

AS SIGNS OF PROWESS
IN THE BATTLEFIELD,

AND HE COULD KEEP
THOSE BONES.

FOR INSTANCE,
THE FEMUR BONE,

HE COULD HANG THAT BONE
OUTSIDE HIS HOUSE

IN ORDER TO SHOW THAT
HE WAS A SUCCESSFUL WARRIOR,

THAT HE HAD BEEN ABLE
TO CAPTURE AN INDIVIDUAL
IN THE BATTLEFIELD.

Narrator: ALL THE BODIES
DISPLAY EVIDENCE

OF THIS KIND OF RITUAL KILLING
AND POSTMORTEM DISMEMBERMENT,

BUT THEY REVEAL
FEW OBVIOUS SIGNS
OF THEIR IDENTITY

OR WHY THEY WERE KILLED
IN SUCH LARGE NUMBERS.

[SPEAKING NAHUATL]

TO OUR MODERN EYES,
HUMAN SACRIFICE SEEMS
LIKE A BARBARIC PRACTICE,

BUT TO THE AZTECS AND OTHER
MESOAMERICAN SOCIETIES,

IT WAS CRUCIAL
TO THEIR VERY EXISTENCE.

THE AZTECS BELIEVED THE GODS
HAD SACRIFICED THEMSELVES

TO GIVE MANKIND LIFE,

SO THE RITUAL WAS A FORM
OF RENEWAL AND REPAYMENT.

HERE IN ZULTEPEC,
EVEN THE LOCATION OF THE BONES

WITHIN THE TOWN POINTS TO SOME
KIND OF CENTRAL CEREMONY.

THIS IS
THE SOUTH PLAZA.

WE CAN SEE HERE
THE GREATEST
CONCENTRATION

OF LOCALIZED
BONE EVIDENCE,

280, 300
INDIVIDUALS.

Narrator: SOME OF THE BODIES
WERE CAREFULLY LAID OUT

WHILE OTHERS WERE
GROUPED TOGETHER

IN SEEMINGLY RANDOM PILES.

THE MAJORITY WERE BURIED
IN SHALLOW GRAVES

CLOSE TO THE LARGE TEMPLE
THAT HAD ONCE STOOD

AS THE CENTERPIECE OF THE TOWN.

THE TEMPLE WAS WHERE SACRIFICES
AND OTHER RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES

WOULD HAVE BEEN CARRIED OUT.

VICTIMS USUALLY DIED
ON THE ALTAR,

WHICH WAS AT THE TOP
OF THE STRUCTURE.

THE AREA AROUND THE TEMPLE
WOULD HAVE BEEN WALLED OFF

SO THAT ONLY THE PRIESTS
HAD DIRECT ACCESS,

BUT EVEN SO,
THE ENTIRE POPULATION

WOULD HAVE KNOWN
WHAT AS GOING ON.

THE RITUALS WERE
AS MUCH FOR THEM

AS THEY WERE FOR THE PRIESTS,

AND THE KILLING
OF THIS MANY PEOPLE

WOULD HAVE BEEN A MAJOR EVENT
IN A TOWN LIKE ZULTEPEC.

TODAY'S HALF-EXCAVATED RUINS
DO LITTLE JUSTICE

TO THE ORIGINAL SCENE.

AFTER 5 CENTURIES,
IT IS UP TO THE BONES

TO REVEAL WHAT TOOK PLACE.

THE REMAINS ARE BROUGHT HERE
TO THE ANTHROPOLIGICAL INSTITUTE

AT THE NATIONAL AUTONOMOUS
UNIVERSITY OF MEXICO.

ARTIFACTS FOUND WITH THE BODIES

DATED THE BONES
TO THE EARLY 1500s,

BUT SCIENTISTS ARE HOPING TO
FIND OUT MUCH MORE ABOUT THEM

THAN JUST THEIR AGE.

FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGIST
MAGALI CIVERA

HAS BEEN FOCUSING
ON ONE PARTICULAR ANALYSIS.

THESE BONES WERE
SENT HERE TO THE LAB

JUST TO ASSESS
THE ETHNIC CHARACTERISTICS.

MOST OF THEM ARE SHOWN
IN THE SKULL.

Narrator: WHEN SHE FIRST
STARTED HER FORENSIC WORK,

MAGALI EXPECTED TO FIND THAT
ALL THE BODIES WERE INDIGENOUS,

BELONGING TO MEMBERS
OF LOCAL TRIBES

WHO HAD BEEN CAPTURED
BY THE AZTECS.

THE SKULLS OF THESE INDIGENOUS
PEOPLE WOULD NORMALLY HAVE

A BROAD FOREHEAD
AND WIDE CHEEK BONES,

BUT INTRIGUINGLY,
SOME OF THE SKULLS FROM ZULTEPEC

DON'T FIT THAT PROFILE.

YOU CAN SEE, FOR EXAMPLE,
THE SHAPE OF THIS SKULL,

THAT IN THIS CASE IT HAS
A VERY LONG HEAD

WITH A VERY NARROW
FOREHEAD,

AND WE HAVE ALSO
THE SHORT ORBITS,

VERY QUADRANGULAR SHAPE,

AND ALSO YOU CAN SEE
THESE CHEEK BONES,

WHICH ARE IN A WAY
VERY LIGHT.

ALSO, IT'S IMPORTANT
THE SHAPE OF THE PALATE

AND THE SIZE
OF THE TEETH.

Narrator:
CIVERA'S ANALYSIS LEADS

HER TO A SHOCKING CONCLUSION...

THE SKULLS COULD NOT HAVE
BELONGED TO LOCAL TRIBES.

THEIR FACIAL CHARACTERISTICS
POINT TO AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT
ETHNIC AND GEOGRAPHIC ORIGIN.

ALL OF THESE TRAITS
MAKE US THINK

THAT THESE REMAINS BELONG
TO A EUROPEAN.

Narrator: OF THE 400 SKELETONS
FOUND SO FAR,

AS MANY AS 40
SEEM TO BE FROM EUROPE.

THE DISCOVERY IS
COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED

AND IMMEDIATELY RAISES QUESTIONS
ABOUT HOW THE BODIES GOT THERE.

BACK IN ZULTEPEC,
THE RESULTS FORCE A REEVALUATION

OF THE GRAVE SITE.

NEW FINDS NOT ONLY CORROBORATE
THE EXISTENCE OF EUROPEANS,

THEY FURTHER NARROW THE FIELD
TO EUROPEANS FROM SPAIN.

THE ILLUMINATING OBJECTS
ARE PIECES OF IRON

WITH TELL-TALE SIGNS
OF SPANISH CONSTRUCTION
AND DESIGN.

THIS IS THE FIRST
IRON OBJECT TO BE
FOUND AT ZULTEPEC,

AND WE KNOW
THAT IRON WAS NOT
ACTUALLY USED

BY THE AZTECS.

THERE IS EVIDENCE
THAT THE HORSES

WERE WITH THEM,
AS WELL.

THERE ARE STIRRUPS,
AND WE KNOW THAT
THE AZTECS

DIDN'T HAVE HORSES.

THE HORSES
DID NOT EXIST
IN THE AMERICAS.

SO THIS IS YET
ANOTHER PROOF THAT
THE SPANIARDS

WERE HERE
AT ZULTEPEC.

Narrator: THE SPANISH WERE
THE FIRST EUROPEANS
TO ARRIVE IN MEXICO.

THEY LANDED
ON THE GULF COAST IN 1519,

SEARCHING FOR WEALTH AND GLORY.

THE INITIAL INVASION FORCE
WAS MADE UP OF JUST 550 MEN,
16 HORSES, AND A FEW CANNONS.

Man: THEY'RE NOT REALLY
PROFESSIONAL SOLDIERS.

SOME OF THEM ARE,
BUT MOST OF THEM

ARE REGULAR SPANIARDS,
THEY'RE FROM MIDDLE RANKS.

THE LEADERS ARE
LOWER NOBILITY.

THEY ARE ARTISANS,
PROFESSIONALS OF THAT KIND,

NOTARIES, TAILORS,
CARPENTERS, AND SO ON.

I LIKE TO THINK OF THEM
AS ARMED ENTREPRENEURS.

THEY WERE WERE
ENTREPRENEURS IN THAT

THEY ALL INVESTED
IN THIS COMPANY,

AND THAT'S WHAT
THE SPANIARDS CALLED IT,
A COMPANY,

AND THEY INVESTED
WHAT THEY COULD.

SO IF THEY WERE
WELL OFF AND THEY
COULD PROVIDE SHIPS,

HORSES, CANNONS,
AND SO ON,

THEN THEY DID THAT,
EVEN CASH INVESTMENTS.

IF THEY'RE POOR,
THEN THEY BRING THEMSELVES.

THAT'S THEIR INVESTMENT.
IT'S A PERSONAL INVESTMENT

IN THEIR WILLINGNESS
TO FIGHT AND SACRIFICE
THEMSELVES

IN ORDER TO CARVE OUT
A NEW PROVINCE OR COLONY
FOR THE EMPIRE.

Narrator: COGNIZANT
OF A POWERFUL CIVILIZATION

IN THE MEXICAN INTERIOR,

THE SPANISH CONQUISTADORS DIDN'T
LINGER ON THE COAST FOR LONG.

THEY SOON SET OFF INLAND,
AND AS THEY TRAVELED,

THE CARAVAN BEGAN TO SWELL.

LOCAL PEOPLE WERE EAGER
TO TAKE UP ARMS

AGAINST THEIR OPPRESSIVE
AZTEC RULERS.

AFTER WEEKS OF MARCHING,
THE COLUMN ARRIVED
IN TENOCHTITLÁN,

CAPITAL OF THE MIGHTY
AZTEC EMPIRE.

THE SPANIARDS MUST HAVE BEEN
SOCKED BY WHAT THEY SAW.

TENOCHTITLÁN, WITH ITS
IMPRESSIVE BOULEVARDS

AND MAGNIFICENT ARCHITECTURE,

HAD A POPULATION
OF MORE THAN 200,000.

IN THE VERY CENTER OF THE CITY

WAS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT
OF ALL ITS BUILDINGS,

THE TEMPLO MAYOR.

THIS WAS WHERE THE MOST
IMPORTANT AZTEC RITUALS
AND CEREMONIES TOOK PLACE.

TODAY, ALL THAT REMAINS
OF THE MASSIVE STRUCTURE

ARE THESE RUINS IN THE HEART
OF MEXICO CITY.

THEY ARE DWARFED
BY THE METROPOLITAN CATHEDRAL

AND THE SURROUNDING BUILDINGS,

BUT BACK THEN,
THEY WOULD HAVE PRESENTED

AN IMPOSING SITE.

FOR ME, THIS IS ONE
OF THE GREAT MOMENTS
IN HUMAN HISTORY.

TWO CIVILIZATIONS
MEETING FOR
THE FIRST TIME.

IMAGINE
THE SPANIARDS

COMING
THROUGH THE PASS

BETWEEN
THE VOLCANOES,

AND THEY LOOK DOWN,
AND THEY SEE
THE CITY

LAID OUT
BEFORE THEM,

SPECTACULAR,
BEAUTIFUL,
AMAZING CITY,

LARGER THAN
ANY CITY IN EUROPE,

LARGER THAN ANY
OTHER CITY
IN THE AMERICAS,

ONE OF THE GREATEST
CITIES IN THE WORLD.

TENOCHTITLÁN
SITTING
ON AN ISLAND,

ALL THE TOWNS
AROUND THE EDGE
OF THE LAKE.

COMBINED POPULATION
OF HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE,

AND THEY COME
INTO THE CITY.

ABSOLUTELY
AN INCREDIBLE MOMENT,
CINEMATIC MOMENT.

Narrator: TENOCHTITLÁN STOOD
AS A TESTAMENT

TO THE WEALTH AND POWER
OF THE GREAT AZTEC EMPIRE.

INTO THIS GRANDEUR WALKED
THE CONQUISTADORS.

IT WAS TO BE
A FATEFUL CONFRONTATION

BETWEEN TWO VERY DIFFERENT
CIVILIZATIONS.

THE AZTECS WERE RULED
BY THE POWERFUL MOCTEZUMA.

THE SPANISH WERE LED
BY THE WILEY AND DETERMINED
HERNÁN CORTÉS.

THEIR FIRST MEETING WAS
PEACEFUL BUT TENSE.

CORTÉS WAS A MAVERICK
IN HIS DAY.

HE'D ALREADY CONQUERED CUBA
FOR THE SPANISH,

BUT AFTER FALLING OUT
WITH THE CUBAN GOVERNOR,

HE HAD LOST
HIS GOVERNMENT'S SUPPORT

FOR THE MISSION
TO THE MAINLAND.

THE LACK OF BACKING DID LITTLE
TO QUELL HIS CONFIDENCE.

HE WAS NOT A PARTICULARLY
WELL-EDUCATED PERSON,

HE CERTAINLY DIDN'T COME
FROM THE ELITE.

HE WS JUST AN ORDINARY,
WORKING-CLASS KIND
OF PERSON REALLY,

AND HERE WAS SOMEONE WHO
REALIZED QUITE EARLY, I THINK,

THAT THE STORIES THAT WERE
COMING BACK ACROSS THE ATLANTIC

WERE VERY ENTICING,

AND HE THOUGHT, "WELL, I WANT
A PIECE OF THAT ACTION.

"I WANT TO GET OUT THERE,
AND I WANT TO GRAB MYSELF
SOME MONEY, MAYBE SOME FAME

AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS," YOU KNOW.

Narrator: MOCTEZUMA,
ON THE OTHER HAND,

WAS A SOPHISTICATED LEADER
BORN OF AZTEC ROYALTY.

HE WAS UNSURE WHAT TO MAKE
OF CORTÉS AND THE CONQUISTADORS.

HE HAD BEEN WARNED
OF THE SPANIARDS' ARRIVAL

AND WAS UNSETTLED
BY THIS WHITE-SKINNED MAN

RIDING A STRANGE, UNKNOWN BEAST.

MOCTEZUMA THOUGHT
CORTÉS' APPEARANCE

MIGHT BE THE FULFILLMENT
OF AN ANCIENT PROPHECY

ABOUT A RETURNING AZTEC GOD.

Locke: THERE WAS PART OF HIM

THAT REALLY WANTED THEM
TO JUST GO AWAY.

HE DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE TO DEAL
WITH THIS PROBLEM AT ALL,

AND HE SPENT VAST AMOUNTS
OF ENERGY TRYING TO ENCOURAGE
THE SPANISH TO JUST DISAPPEAR,

BUT THERE WAS ALSO PART OF HIM
THAT WAS CONVINCED

THAT THIS COULD BE THE RETURN
OF QUETZALCOATL,

WHO WAS SAID TO HAVE DISAPPEARED
OVER THE SEAS IN THE EAST

AND WHO WOULD BE RETURNING,

AND MOCTEZUMA WAS CLEARLY UNABLE
TO MAKE A DEFINITIVE DECISION,

SO HE DECIDED THE FIRST COURSE
OF ACTION REALLY

WOULD BE JUST TO PACIFY
THESE STRANGERS

AND ALSO TO GIVE THEM
SMALL GIFTS.

Narrator: THESE GIFTS HAD
A PROFOUND EFFECT

ON CORTÉS AND HIS MEN.

Man as Cortés: AFTER WE
HAD WALKED A LITTLE WAY
UP THE STREET,

A SERVANT OF HIS CAME
WITH TWO NECKLACES,

WRAPPED IN CLOTH,
MADE FROM RED SNAIL SHELLS,

WHICH THEY HOLD IN GREAT ESTEEM,

AND FROM EACH NECKLACE HUNG
8 SCRIMS OF REFINED GOLD

ALMOST A SPANNING LENGTH.

WHEN THEY HAD BEEN BROUGHT,
THE TURNED TO ME

AND PLACED THEM ABOUT MY NECK.

Narrator: THOUGH WARY,
MOCTEZUMA MADE A GREAT EFFORT

TO PLAY THE PERFECT HOST,

SHOWING HIS GUESTS
AROUND THE CITY

AND ENTERTAINING THEM
WITH LAVISH BANQUETS.

BUT DESPITE THE REGAL TREATMENT,
CORTÉS REMAINED SUSPICIOUS,

SURE THAT THE AZTEC LEADER
WAS PLANNING SOMETHING SINISTER.

CORTÉS MADE THE DECISION
TO ACT FIRST

AND TOOK MOCTEZUMA CAPTIVE.

THE STORY OF WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
IS STILL CAUSE FOR DEBATE

AMONG MODERN-DAY HISTORIANS.

ONE VERSION OF EVENTS IS
DEPICTED IN EXTRAORDINARY MURALS

ON THE WALLS
OF THE NATIONAL PALACE.

FAMOUS MEXICAN ARTIST
DIEGO RIVERA PAINTED
THE MURALS IN 1929.

HE USED HISTORICAL SOURCES
TO MAKE THEM AS ACCURATE
AS POSSIBLE.

THEY REPRESENT
THE TRADITIONAL VIEW

OF WHAT HAPPENED
AFTER THE CONQUISTADORS ARRIVED.

THE PAINTINGS ILLUSTRATE HOW
THE GREAT WARRIOR NATION

OF THE AZTECS PUT UP
LITTLE RESISTANCE
TO THE INVADERS

AND QUICKLY CEDED CONTROL
OF THE KINGDOM TO THE SPANISH.

IN THIS RETELLING,
MOCTEZUMA TOOK TOO LONG

TO ADMIT THAT THE CONQUISTADORS
WERE NOT RESURRECTED AZTEC GODS

AND THAT HE HAD CHOSEN
THE WRONG COURSE OF ACTION

BY WELCOMING THEM
INTO HIS REALM.

HE FINALLY REALIZED
THEY WERE RUTHLESS ENEMIES

DRIVEN BY GREED
AND AN INSATIABLE THIRST

FOR POWER AND WEALTH.

OF COURSE, BY THEN, THE DAMAGE
HAD ALREADY BEEN DONE.

Locke: THE TRADITIONAL VIEW
OF THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO

IS ONE OF GREAT KIND OF LAW,

WRITTEN INTO GREAT VICTORIES,
IF YOU LIKE,

MILITARY VICTORIES
OF WORLD HISTORY,

HOW A GROUP OF ILLITERATE...
LARGELY ILLITERATE...

UNTRAINED SOLDIERS
COULD MARCH INTO A NATION

OF SOME 15 MILLION INDIVIDUALS
AND BASICALLY LAY WASTE TO THEM

AND CAPTURE THE GREAT PRIZE
OF MEXICO, TENOCHTITLÁN,

AND RULE OF THEM AS IF
BY MAGIC ALMOST.

THIS, OF COURSE, IS
A VERY ROSE-TINTED VIEW

OF THE REALITY OF THE SITUATION

Narrator: IT'S A CLASSIC
CASE OF HISTORY BEING
WRITTEN BY THE VICTORS,

BUT THE DISCOVERY
OF THE SPANISH
SKELETONS AT ZULTEPEC

MEANS HISTORY MIGHT HAVE TO
BE RETHOUGHT.

THE BONES HAVE ONLY BEGUN
TO REVEAL THEIR SECRETS.

A FACIAL RECONSTRUCTION LAB
AT THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL INSTITUTE

IS PROVIDING ADDITIONAL DETAILS
ABOUT WHO THE VICTIMS WERE.

EDGAR GAYTAN
IS THE FORENSIC ARTIST

DOING THE DIFFICULT
RECONSTRUCTION WORK.

HE IS PAINSTAKINGLY BUILDING
A PROFILE OF EACH SKULL.

HIS ENDEAVORS HAVE LED
TO THE BIGGEST BREAKTHROUGH

SINCE THE DISCOVERY
THAT MANY OF THE VICTIMS
WERE EUROPEAN.

[SPEAKING SPANISH]

Translator:
EVERY HUMAN IS DIFFERENT,

AND THE SAME
CHARACTERISTICS

THAT WERE RECOGNIZED
IN LIFE

ARE REPRODUCED
IN THE SKULL.

IN THIS CASE,
WE CAN SEE THAT THIS SKULL

IS MORE MASCULINE,
AND THIS ONE FEMININE.

IT HAS MUCH MORE
ROUNDED FEATURES.

Narrator: THE ANALYSIS
HAS REVEALED THAT AT LEAST
10 OF THE SKULLS BELONG

TO EUROPEAN FEMALES.

IT'S AN IMPORTANT REVELATION

BECAUSE IT NARROWS DOWN
THE EXACT TIME FRAME

IN WHICH THE MASSACRE
COULD HAVE TAKEN PLACE.

FROM CORTÉS LETTERS,
ELIZABETH DETERMINED

THAT WHEN HE FIRST ARRIVED
HE LED AN ALL-MALE CREW.

THERE WERE NO WOMEN AT ALL
IN HIS ORIGINAL CONVOY,

BUT SOON AFTER, A SECOND
PARTY OF SPANIARDS FOLLOWED
CORTÉS TO MEXICO.

THEY WERE SENT TO ARREST HIM

SINCE HE HAD LEFT ON HIS MISSION
WITHOUT SPANISH CONSENT.

THIS GROUP DID HAVE
WOMEN WITH THEM.

HE HAD SECURED THIS PASSAGE

WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE
OF THE GOVERNOR,

AND THE GOVERNOR WAS
FAIRLY SORT OF UNHAPPY

ABOUT THE WHOLE THING
BECAUSE HE HAD NO CONTROL

OVER CORTÉS
OR THIS MISSION REALLY.

I THINK THERE WAS THIS
VERY COMPETITIVE KIND OF MOMENT.

EVERYONE WAS QUITE KEEN
TO GET OUT THERE

AND BE THE FIRST TO
GET INTO THE ACTION,
IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN,

AND MAKE THE MOST
OF THE OPPORTUNITIES

THAT WERE PRESENTING THEMSELVES.

Narrator: WHEN CORTÉS HEARD
ABOUT THE SECOND CONVOY,

HE HAD NO CHOICE
BUT TO CONFRONT THEM.

Locke: HE HAD TO DO SOMETHING.

HE REALIZED THAT HE HAD
SOMETHING PRETTY SPECIAL
WITHIN HIS GRASP REALLY,

AND THIS WAS NOT SOMETHING THAT
HE WANTED TO SHARE WITH ANYONE,

AND IT CERTAINLY WASN'T
SOMETHING THAT HE WANTED
TAKEN AWAY FROM HIM

IN TERMS OF THE CONTROL.

CORTÉS OF COURSE LEAVES
TENOCHTITLÁN TO GO
BACK TO VERA CRUZ

TO FIND OUT WHAT IT IS
THAT THIS SECONDARY GROUP

OF SPANIARDS THAT FOLLOWED HIM

WITH THE AIM OF FINDING OUT
WHAT HE WAS UP TO

AND PROBABLY JUST
WRESTLE CONTROL FROM HIM.

Narrator: LEAVING
A SMALL GARRISON IN CHARGE

OF THE AZTEC CAPITAL,
CORTÉS MARCHED EAST

WITH A BAND
OF HIS FINEST SOLDIERS.

HE ARRIVED BACK AT THE COAST
AND WENT TO BATTLE,

QUICKLY VANQUISHING
HIS WOULD-BE CAPTORS.

NOT WANTING TO STAY AWAY
FROM TENOCHTITLÁN

ANY LONGER THAN NECESSARY,

CORTÉS IMMEDIATELY GATHERED UP
THE DEFEATED SOLDIERS

AND THEIR ENTOURAGE
OF WOMEN AND SLAVES

AND SET OFF ON HIS RETURN TRIP.

HIS URGENCY WAS WELL-WARRANTED.

ACCORDING TO MOST ACCOUNTS,

WORD REACHED HIM
DURING THE MARCH

THAT MOCTEZUMA HAD DIED.

TO THIS DAY, IT IS UNCLEAR

WHETHER HE WAS KILLED
BY HIS CAPTORS

OR BY HIS OWN PEOPLE,
BUT EITHER WAY,

CORTÉS RECOGNIZED
THE PRECARIOUSNESS
OF HIS SITUATION.

HE NEEDED TO GET BACK
TO THE CAPITAL.

HE KNEW THE SITUATION WAS TENSE.

HE DIDN'T REALLY KNOW WHAT
WAS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT,

BUT HE HAD SEEN THE CITY
AND HAD BEEN LIVING IN THE CITY,

AND HE KNEW THAT THERE WAS
A LOT OF WEALTH THERE,

AND BY... YOU KNOW, BY NO WAY WAS
HE GOING TO JUST GIVE THAT UP.

HE WANTED TO GET BACK THERE
AND CLAIM HIS RIGHTFUL SHARE.

Narrator: THE ROUTE CORTÉS TOOK
CAN STILL BE FOLLOWED TODAY.

IT'S A LONG TRAIL THAT MEANDERS
THROUGH THE MEXICAN COUNTRYSIDE.

AS IT HAPPENED
ON HIS ORIGINAL JOURNEY,

THE CARAVAN'S NUMBERS
SWELLED WITH LOCALS,

WHO WERE EAGER TO ENLIST IN
A CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE AZTECS.

WITH FEW HORSES
AND AN EVER-GROWING NUMBER

OF MEN AND WOMEN IN TOW,
THE COLUMN'S PROGRESS
SLOWED TO A CRAWL.

THE GROUP HAD SAFETY IN NUMBERS,

BUT THEY WEREN'T MOVING
FAST ENOUGH TO SUIT
THE ANXIOUS CORTÉS.

Baquedano: THEY TRAVELED
THROUGH THIS RUGGED TERRAIN

TOWARDS THE AZTEC CAPITAL
TENOCHTITLÁN.

THEY HAD GREAT ADVANTAGES...

THE USE OF WEAPONS OF FIRE
AND HORSES.

Narrator: THESE TOOLS
MUST HAVE COMFORTED THEM

BECAUSE THEY MOVED
FARTHER INLAND,

THEY COULD FEEL
THE GROWING AZTEC UNREST.

LATER, CORTÉS WROTE
ABOUT THE JOURNEY.

HE DESCRIBED HOW HE EVENTUALLY
MADE THE CRUCIAL DECISION

TO LEAVE THE SLOW MASSES BEHIND

AND MOVE AHEAD FASTER
WITH JUST A SMALL GROUP
OF SOLDIERS.

HE NEVER MENTIONED
THE CONVOY AGAIN.

CORTÉS KNEW THAT IF HE
DELAYED ANY LONGER

HE RISKED A FULL-BLOWN
AZTEC UPRISING

AND THE LOSS OF ALL
THE WEALTH AND RECOGNITION

HE SO DESPERATELY CRAVED.

HUNDREDS OF MEN AND WOMEN,
BOTH LOCAL AND SPANISH,

WERE LEFT TO FEND FOR THEMSELVES

IN EVER MORE HOSTILE
AZTEC TERRITORY.

THE LARGE GROUP,
ABANDONED BY CORTÉS
AND STILL MOVING SLOWLY,

HAD LITTLE CHOICE
BUT TO CONTINUE
MAKING ITS WAY WEST

TOWARDS THE CAPITAL.

DESPITE THEIR NUMBERS,
THEY HAD FEW WEAPONS

AND EVEN FEWER TRAINED SOLDIERS.

THEY MUST HAVE SEEMED
AN EASY TARGET

TO THE WELL-TRAINED
AZTEC WARRIORS.

THERE ARE NO WRITTEN RECORDS
ABOUT THE FINAL ATTACK,

BUT IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME
BEFORE THE CONVOY WAS OVERRUN.

THE AZTECS HAD AN INTIMATE
KNOWLEDGE OF THE AREA,

THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE,

AND A PROWESS
FOR AMBUSHING IN THE DARK.

AAH!

UNH!

Narrator: THE TRAVELERS
DIDN'T STAND A CHANCE.

AS WAS THEIR CUSTOM,
THE AZTECS WOULD HAVE

CAPTURED THEIR ENEMIES ALIVE.

THEIR FATES WOULD BE SEALED
ON THE ALTAR,

NOT THE BATTLEFIELD.

FOR THE AZTECS, WARFARE
WAS MUCH MORE OF A RITUAL

THAT WAS LINKED
TO THE RELIGIOUS WORSHIP,

SO THEY TRIED TO CAPTURE

THE MORE EXALTED
AND HONORED MEMBERS

OF THEIR OPPOSING SOCIETY,

AND THESE CAPTIVES THEY WOULD
TAKE BACK TO THEIR CITY,

WHERE THEY WOULD BE KEPT

AND THEN RITUALLY SACRIFICED
WHEN THE TIME CAME.

Narrator: THE AZTECS WERE
KNOWN TO KEEP THEIR VICTIMS
PRISONER FOR MONTHS.

FOR THE CONQUISTADORS
AND THEIR ENTOURAGE,

THE WAIT MUST HAVE
SEEMED INTERMINABLE.

THE CONDITIONS WOULD HAVE
BEEN WRETCHED,

LITTLE FOOD, LITTLE LIGHT,

AND THE GROWING CERTAINTY
OF INCOMPREHENSIBLE
HORRORS TO COME.

THE SPANISH HAD NO BASIS FOR
UNDERSTANDING HUMAN SACRIFICE

AS ANYTHING OTHER THAN
AN AGONIZING AND BARBARIC
WAY TO DIE,

BUT FOR THE AZTECS, THE RITUAL
WAS A NECESSITY FOR SURVIVAL.

TO THEM, SACRIFICE WAS NOT
A FORM OR PUNISHMENT

BUT THE ULTIMATE OPPORTUNITY
TO DO ONE'S PART

FOR THE PERPETUATION
OF THE UNIVERSE.

THE SPECTACULAR CITY
OF TEOTIHUACAN WAS ONE

OF THE AZTEC CENTERS
OF HUMAN SACRIFICE.

THE MAGNIFICENT
TEMPLES AND PYRAMIDS

WERE ALL BUILT IN DEVOTION
TO THE GODS.

EACH YEAR, HUNDREDS
OF THOUSANDS OF VISITORS

WOULD FLOCK TO THE CITY
TO PAY TRIBUTE TO THE DEITIES.

TEOTIHUACAN WAS KNOWN AS
THE CITY OF GODS.

IT WOULD HAVE MADE
A STUNNING BACKDROP

FOR THE SACRIFICIAL CEREMONIES.

Baquedano: HUMAN SACRIFICE
WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO THE AZTECS

BECAUSE THEY BELIEVED
THAT WITHOUT IT

THE GODS WOULD GO UNNOURISHED

AND THE WORLD WOULD
COME TO AN END.

Narrator: EACH OF THE TEMPLES
LINING THE AVENUE

WAS DEDICATED
TO AN INDIVIDUAL GOD.

THERE WERE GODS FOR EACH SEASON

AND FOR IMPORTANT FESTIVALS
IN THE AZTEC CALENDAR.

EVERY GOD WAS CONNECTED TO SOME
ASPECT OF THE NATURAL WORLD.

THEY REQUIRED FREQUENT OFFERINGS
IN THEIR HONOR.

THE AZTECS PRESENTED
FOOD AND ANIMALS,

BUT THE ULTIMATE GIFT WAS
THE SACRIFICE OF A HUMAN LIFE.

Baquedano: ACCORDING TO MYTH,

THE GODS GATHERED HERE
AT TEOTIHUACAN

TO CREATE THE SUN AND THE MOON.

EVERYTHING WAS IN DARKNESS.

IT WAS NECESSARY FOR THE GODS
TO SACRIFICE THEMSELVES.

IN ORDER TO DO THAT,
THEY HAD TO THROW THEMSELVES

INTO A HUGE FIRE.

IN TURN, MEN HAD TO DO THE SAME.

THEY HAD TO SACRIFICE THEMSELVES

TO KEEP GIVING
THAT PRECIOUS NOURISHMENT,

THOSE PRECIOUS HEARTS

IN ORDER TO HAVE
THE SUN MOVING,

IN ORDER TO HAVE
THE COSMOS IN BALANCE.

Narrator: THE ENTIRE AZTEC WORLD
REVOLVED AROUND THIS NEED.

HUMAN SACRIFICE WAS REQUIRED
TO KEEP THEIR WORLD TURNING.

[MAN SPEAKS NAHUATL]

ONE BY ONE, LIVING VICTIMS WOULD
BE BROUGHT BEFORE THE PRIESTS.

THE ACTUAL DEATH BLOW
WAS FORCEFULLY ABRUPT.

IT WAS CRUCIAL
FOR THE SEVERED HEART

TO REMAIN BEATING AS IT WAS
OFFERED UP TO THE GODS.

[SPEAKS NAHUATL]

Locke: WHAT OF COURSE IS
VERY DIFFICULT FOR US TO
UNDERSTAND CULTURALLY

IS WHAT HUMAN SACRIFICE
WAS ALL ABOUT

AND HOW IT TOOK PLACE
AND WHY IT WAS ACCEPTABLE

BECAUSE OF COURSE TO US
HUMAN SACRIFICE SEEMS

THE MOST UNACCEPTABLE
OF ALL KIND OF ACTIVITIES.

IT'S VERY DIFFICULT
TO LOOK AT THAT

IN A VERY KIND OF REALISTIC WAY,

BUT CERTAINLY,
THE AZTEC CONCEPT OF THE WORLD

AND THEIR UNDERSTANDING
OF THE UNIVERSE

AND THEIR RIGHT TO LIVE IN IT,
TO PARTICIPATE IN IT

WAS BASED ON THE SACRIFICE
OF THE GODS THEMSELVES.

Narrator: CORTÉS WITNESSED
THE BLOODY RITUAL

WITH HIS OWN EYES.

HE RECORDED VERY GRAPHIC DETAIL
OF THE CEREMONY IN HIS LETTERS.

Man as Cortés: THEY TAKE MANY
GIRLS AND BOYS AND EVEN ADULTS

AND IN THE PRESENCE OF THE IDOLS

THEY OPEN THEIR CHESTS
WHILE THEY'RE STILL ALIVE

AND TAKE OUT THEIR HEARTS
AND ENTRAILS AND BURN THEM
BEFORE THE IDOLS,

OFFERING THE SMOKE AS SACRIFICE.

Narrator: WHAT CORTÉS DIDN'T SEE

WAS THAT HIS OWN
ABANDONED PEOPLE

WERE RECEIVING
THE SAME TREATMENT.

[SPEAKING SPANISH]

BACK IN ZULTEPEC,
THE SPANISH HAD BECOME

THE LATEST OFFERING
TO THE AZTEC GODS.

[SPEAKING SPANISH]

Translator: THIS IS WHERE
THEY CARRIED OUT

THE SACRIFICES
OF THEIR CAPTIVES.

HERE, THEY SUSPENDED
PEOPLE HELD BY 4 PRIESTS.

THEY REMOVED THE HEART

AND OFFERED IT UP
TO THE SUN.

[MAN SPEAKING NAHUATL]

Narrator: THE SACRIFICES
WERE ONLY PERFORMED

BY SPECIALLY TRAINED PRIESTS,

WHO WERE ADEPT WITH BOTH
THE RITUAL AND THE KNIFE.

THIS WAS THEIR
SACRIFICIAL ALTAR.

THE VICTIM WAS LAID
OUT ON THE PLATFORM.

4 PRIESTS WERE
AT THE BACK,

HOLDING EACH LIMB,

AND A FIFTH PRIEST

WOULD ACTUALLY
INSERT A KNIFE,

CUT THE CHEST OPEN,
TEAR THE HEART OUT,

AND OFFER IT
TO THE SUN.

THE HEART WAS PLACED
ON A SACRED VESSEL,

AND THEN THE VESSEL
WAS BROUGHT DOWN
THE STEPS.

THE VICTIM,
SOMETIMES, WAS ROLLED
DOWN THE STEPS,

AND PRIESTS WERE
RECEIVING THE VICTIM

AT THE BOTTOM
OF THE TEMPLE.

WHEN THE HEART
WAS TAKEN OUT

AND IT WAS OFFERED
UP TO THE SUN,
TO THE GOD,

IT WAS THE MOST
PRECIOUS OF ALL
THE OFFERINGS

HUMANS COULD GIVE
TO THE GODS.

WE KNOW THAT THIS
VERY STONE WITNESSED

EACH AND EVERY
SACRIFICE
AT THE TEMPLE.

Narrator:
THE ALTAR STONE REMAINS,

AND ENRIQUE HAS EVEN
DISCOVERED A BLADE

THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN USED
IN THE CEREMONIES.

THIS IS THE ONLY
SACRIFICIAL KNIFE

THAT HAS BEEN FOUND
IN THIS CEREMONIAL AREA.

Narrator: THE KNIFE
WAS MADE OF FLINT

WITH AN EDGE SHARP ENOUGH
TO CUT THROUGH A HUMAN CHEST

IN A SINGLE PLUNGE.

IT HAD A SPECIAL BOX,

SO IT WAS KEPT
AND SAFEGUARDED

EVERY TIME IT WAS USED
FOR HUMAN SACRIFICE.

Narrator: THE RITUAL WAS
CAREFULLY ORCHESTRATED.

ALL THE SACRIFICES AT ZULTEPEC

TOOK PLACE HIGH
ON THE TEMPLE MOUNT.

ONLY THE PRIESTS TOOK PART
IN THE CEREMONY ITSELF,

BUT ONCE THE KILLING WAS OVER

AND THE HUMAN OFFERING
HAD BEEN MADE,

THE MACABRE REMAINS
WERE PUT ON SHOW

FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO SEE.

Translator: THEY HAVE
PIECED TOGETHER
THIS TIMBER RACK

TO REFLECT WHAT
THE ORIGINAL TZOMPANTLI
WOULD HAVE LOOKED LIKE.

TZOMPANTLI IS
THE AZTEC WORD
FOR A SKULL RACK.

ONCE THE VICTIMS
WERE SACRIFICED
TO THE GODS,

THE HEADS WERE
HUNG HERE
LIKE TROPHIES.

Narrator: IN PREPARATION
FOR BEING DISPLAYED,

EACH HEAD WAS PUNCTURED THROUGH
THE LEFT AND RIGHT TEMPLE.

THE SKULL RACK WAS
AN ALTAR

WHICH NORMALLY
WAS PLACED IN FRONT
OF THE MAIN TEMPLES.

THESE SKULLS WOULD HAVE
BEEN PLACED ON THESE BEAMS

LIKE BEADS ON A NECKLACE.

Narrator: MORE THAN TWO DOZEN
OF THESE PIERCED SKULLS

WERE FOUND AT ZULTEPEC.

AT LEAST HALF OF THEM WERE
OF EUROPEAN ORIGIN.

THE MUTILATED SPANISH REMAINS
PROVIDED A CLEAR PICTURE

OF WHAT BEFELL THIS UNFORTUNATE
BAND OF CONQUISTADORS.

THE NEXT STEP FOR ELIZABETH IS
TO SEE IF SHE CAN FIND

ANY HISTORICAL RECORDS
THAT CORROBORATE
THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE.

THE PLACE TO GO FOR SUCH RECORDS
IS BACK IN MEXICO CITY.

THE LIBRARY OF ANTHROPOLOGY

HOUSES PRICELESS
AND BEAUTIFUL CODICES,

PAINTED BOOKS THAT DOCUMENT
AZTEC STORIES.

MOST OF THE MANUSCRIPTS
THAT STILL EXIST

WERE CREATED BY EARLY
SPANISH SETTLERS,

BUT MANY OF THESE ARE BASED
ON OLDER AZTEC PICTOGRAMS.

THERE'S THIS.

WELL, "THE FLORENTINE
CODEX." HERE'S
3 VOLUMES,

BUT THERE ARE
SEVERAL SCENES
OF SACRIFICE.

Narrator: HISTORIAN
CARMEN AGUILERA

HAS SOME INTERESTING IMAGES
FOR ELIZABETH TO SEE.

SO WHICH ONE ARE YOU
GONNA SHOW ME FIRST?

WELL, I THINK
THE "FLORENTINE"
PICTURE

BECAUSE IT'S
VERY ILLUSTRATIVE

OF HOW 16th CENTURY
PEOPLE REPRESENTED
HUMAN SACRIFICE.

HERE WE HAVE
A PICTURE
OF SACRIFICE

BY TAKING OUT
THE HEART
OF THE CAPTIVE.

Narrator:
THIS SIMPLE INK DRAWING

PENNED BY A EUROPEAN SCRIBE
NOT LONG AFTER THE CONQUEST

CLEARLY DEPICTS AN AZTEC
SACRIFICE OF A LOCAL VICTIM...

BUT WHAT ELIZABETH WANTS
IS ANY REFERENCES

TO THE SACRIFICE OF SPANIARDS.

CARMEN CAN'T GO BACK
TO THE ORIGINAL CODICES,

WHICH ARE KEPT
IN TEMPERATURE-CONTROLLED VAULTS

TO KEEP THEM
FROM DISINTEGRATING.

HIS FIRST PUBLICATION
AFTER 500 YEARS.

BUT SHE DOES HAVE FACSIMILES
OF THE IMPORTANT WORKS

AND THINKS SHE KNOWS
JUST WHERE TO LOOK

FOR ENTRIES
ABOUT THE SPANISH.

THIS IS THE TWELFTH BOOK
OF THE "FLORENTINE CODEX."

BURIED WITHIN
THIS 500-PAGE TOMB

IS AN ILLUSTRATION
THAT UNTIL NOW

HAS NEVER TRULY CAUGHT
CARMEN'S ATTENTION.

Baquedano: YES!

OH, YOU FOUND IT.

INSTEAD OF
SHOWING THE HEADS
OF THE INDIANS,

IT SHOWS
HORSES' HEADS

AND HUMAN HEADS.

Narrator: THIS TINY,
CRUDE ILLUSTRATION

CONTAINS TWO IMPORTANT CLUES.

FIRST IS THE HORSE HEADS
ON THE SKULL RACK.

THE AZTECS DIDN'T HAVE HORSES,

SO THEY MUST HAVE BEN CAPTURED
FROM THE CONQUISTADORS,

BUT EVEN MORE TELLING
IS THE DEPICTION

OF THE HUMAN HEADS ON THE RACK.

THEY ARE HEAVILY BEARDED.

SINCE THE LOCALS HAD
LITTLE FACIAL HAIR,

THE BEARDS WERE
A DEFINING CHARACTERISTIC

OF THE SPANISH SOLDIERS.

FOR ELIZABETH, THIS IS
JUST THE CORROBORATING EVIDENCE

SHE HAS BEEN LOOKING FOR.

IT'S A DIRECT LINK
BETWEEN THE HISTORICAL RECORDS

AND THE ZULTEPEC BONES.

BUT NOT ALL HER QUESTIONS HAVE
BEEN ANSWERED BY THE CODICES.

IN THE FLEETING BUT TEMPESTUOUS
PERIOD OF SPANISH INVASION

AND AZTEC UPRISING,
HAD THERE BEEN MORE
TO THE SACRIFICES

THAN RELIGIOUS TRADITION?

WARFARE EXPERT ROSS HASSIG
BELIEVES THE AZTECS

MAY HAVE HAD POLITICAL MOTIVES
FOR SACRIFICING THEIR ENEMIES.

IT'S PAINTED
AS RELIGIOUS,

BUT, IN FACT, IT
WAS BEING USED

FOR POLITICAL
PURPOSES,

THE PRIMARY PURPOSE
OF THIS WAS TO
SOLIDIFY THE EMPIRE.

[DRUMS BEATING]

Narrator: IT'S WELL-DOCUMENTED
THAT THE AZTEC WARRIORS

TERRORIZED
THEIR WEAKER NEIGHBORS

AND GOVERNED THEIR EMPIRE
WITH INTIMIDATION AND FEAR.

THEY EXACTED HEAVY TAXES
FROM THEIR SUBJECTS

AND GAVE THEM LITTLE FREEDOM.

NOT SURPRISINGLY, THE AZTECS
FLOURISHED UNDER THIS SYSTEM,

BUT THEY ALSO WORKED HARD
TO CONSOLIDATE AND MAINTAIN
THEIR POWER,

AND THAT, SAYS, ROSS IS
WHERE THE OTHER PURPOSE
OF HUMAN SACRIFICE CAME IN.

WHEN THEY HAD
AN OPPORTUNITY,

THE AZTECS WOULD
TAKE CAPTIVES

AND MAKE A PUBLIC
DISPLAY OF THEM.

THEY ACTUALLY TOOK
THE SKIN OFF
THE FACE

AND THEIR HANDS,
TANNED IT,

AND SENT IT AROUND
TO A LOT OF THESE
WAVERING CITIES.

THE WHOLE PURPOSE
OF THIS KIND
OF DISPLAY

OF A SACRI...
SACRIFICE
AND DISPLAY

IS TO INTIMIDATE
YOUR FRIENDS
AND YOUR ENEMIES,

AND SO THE AZTECS
WOULD HAVE KILLED
THESE PEOPLE PUBLICLY,

DISPLAYED THEIR
REMAINS PUBLICLY

AS A WAY OF
ENSURING THE LOYALTY
AND FEALTY

OF A LOT OF TOWNS
THAT MAY HAVE BEEN
WAVERING

IN THEIR SUPPORT.

Narrator: COULD THIS
HAVE BEEN THE MOTIVE

BEHIND THE MASSACRE
AT ZULTEPEC?

IT MAYBE REALLY
WAS THIS INCIDENT
IN 1520

WHERE THEY HAD
ALL THESE SPANIARDS

AND THEY WERE ABLE
TO SACRIFICE THEM
AT LEISURE,

DISPLAY THEM
PUBLICLY
WITHOUT FEAR

OF ANY REPRISALS,

AND THEN SEND THESE
MATERIALS AROUND

TO A LOT
OF THEIR ALLIES.

Narrator: ONE CAN ONLY WONDER

IF CORTÉS AND HIS MEN
IN TENOCHTITLÁN

CAUGHT WIND OF WHAT WAS
HAPPENING TO THEIR
BRETHREN IN ZULTEPEC.

IF THEY DID, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN
A CHILLING WARNING

AT A TIME OF ESCALATING VIOLENCE

BETWEEN THE AZTECS
AND THE CONQUISTADORS.

WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT
CORTÉS DID NOT STAY
IN TENOCHTITLÁN FOR LONG

AFTER THE DEATH OF MOCTEZUMA.

WITH THE CITY IN CHAOS,
HE WAS FORCED TO RETREAT.

THE SPANISH IN ZULTEPEC
DIDN'T HAVE THAT OPTION,

AND FURTHER EXAMINATION
OF THEIR BONES

IS REVEALING THAT THEIR
DESECRATION CONTINUED
EVEN AFTER DEATH.

AAH!

THE UNFORTUNATE VICTIMS
HAD BEEN CAPTURED, IMPRISONED,

SACRIFICED TO THE AZTEC GODS,
AND DISMEMBERED.

THEIR STILL-BEATING HEARTS

HAD BEEN RIPPED
FROM THEIR CHESTS.

AND HOW THERE IS EVIDENCE
THEY WERE EATEN, AS WELL.

[SPEAKING SPANISH]

[SPEAKING SPANISH]

Narrator: ENRIQUE MARTINEZ'S
STOREROOM CONTAINS

THOUSANDS OF ARTIFACTS
FOUND AT ZULTEPEC.

HE HAS OBSIDIAN BLADES
AND RARE POTTERY BURIAL POTS.

EVERYTHING HAS BEEN CAREFULLY
SORTED AND CATALOGUED.

[SPEAKING SPANISH]

[SPEAKING SPANISH]

ONE OF ENRIQUE'S
MOST PRIZED RELICS

IS A STONE CHAMBER THAT WAS USED
TO HOLD HUMAN HEARTS

DURING THE RITUAL SACRIFICES.

BUT EVEN AMONG ALL THESE
PRICELESS TREASURES,

IT IS THE BONES THAT PROVIDE
THE MOST INFORMATION

ABOUT THE MASSACRE.

WHOLE SKELETONS TELL ONE STORY,

BUT INDIVIDUAL BONES
TELL ANOTHER.

ONCE THE CAPTIVES
HAD BEEN SACRIFICED,

THEIR BODIES WERE DISMEMBERED
AND RITUALLY PREPARED.

THE LONG BONES WERE GIVEN
TO THE WARRIORS AS TROPHIES,

BUT, FIRST, THEY HAD TO BE
STRIPPED OF FLESH AND TREATED.

[SPEAKING SPANISH]

Translator: THEY PUT
THE REMAINS IN LYME

TO STOP THEM
FROM PUTREFYING,

AND EVENTUALLY,
THEY WOULD BE
DISPLAYED

IN PEOPLE'S HOUSES.

Narrator: OTHER BONES
APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN COOKED
AT HIGH TEMPERATURES.

SOME OF THE BONES
HAVE BEEN CREMATED.

THE WOULD HAVE BEEN
PUT DIRECTLY ON TOP
OF THE FIRE.

Narrator: THE PREPARATION
OF ALL THESE BONES SUGGESTS

THAT THE SACRIFICIAL KILLING
WAS JUST STEP ONE,

FOLLOWED BY COOKING AND EATING.

AS WELL AS BEING
INGESTED,

THE BONE HAS BEEN
CHEWED AND EATEN,
TOO, BIT BY BIT.

[CRUNCH]

THIS IS ANOTHER
CHARACTERISTIC

THAT YOU WILL NOTICE
IN THE PREPARATION
OF THESE BONES.

Narrator: THEY DISPLAY
ALL THE HALLMARKS

OF HAVING BEEN
COOKED AND CONSUMED.

WE CAN SEE SOME
OF THE MARKS.

THESE MARKS ACTUALLY
ARE OF HUMAN BEINGS

WHEN THE PERSON
CHEWED THE BONE,

AND WE KNOW THAT
THE MARROW WAS
RITUALLY EATEN.

IT WAS TAKEN OUT
AND EATEN.

Narrator: HISTORIANS HAVE
LONG SUSPECTED

THAT THE AZTECS INDULGED
IN CANNIBALISM,

BUT ACCORDING TO ENRIQUE,
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME

THAT ACTUAL ARCHEOLOGICAL
EVIDENCE HAS BEEN FOUND
TO BACK UP THE CLAIM.

ONCE AGAIN, THE DISCOVERIES
AT ZULTEPEC ARE CORROBORATED

BY ILLUSTRATIONS
IN THE AZTEC CODICES.

[SPEAKING SPANISH]

THIS TIME, IT'S EERIE IMAGES
OF AZTEC WARRIORS

COOKING AND DEVOURING
THEIR ENEMIES.

Locke: THERE WERE ALSO RITUALS
IN WHICH HUMAN FLESH WAS EATEN.

NOW WHETHER THIS WAS DONE
TO STRIKE DREAD

INTO THE HEARTS OF THE SPANISH,

OR WHETHER IT WAS DONE
BECAUSE THE AZTECS FELT

THAT IT MIGHT DRAIN
THE POWER OF THE SPANIARDS,

MAYBE THEY FELT VERY STRONGLY
THAT THEY HAD UPSET THE GODS

AND THE ONLY WAY THAT
THEY COULD APPEASE THEM

WOULD BE TO OFFER
THE HIGHEST FORM OF SACRIFICE,

WHICH WOULD BE TO CAPTURE
A SPANIARD OR HIS HORSE

AND SACRIFICE IT,

IS OPEN TO QUESTION,

BUT CERTAINLY, SACRIFICE
OF SPANIARDS DID OCCUR.

Narrator: AT LONG LAST,
THE FULL STORY OF
THE MASSACRE AT ZULTEPEC

HAS BEEN WRESTLED
FROM THE BONES.

WHAT BEGAN AS A BOLD FORAY
INTO THE NEW WORLD

BY A BAND OF SPANIARDS

ENDED IN A BLOODY EXECUTION

THAT DEFIED THEIR
EUROPEAN COMPREHENSION.

WITH 21st CENTURY HINDSIGHT,

THE EPISODE SHEDS NEW LIGHT
ON THE CONFRONTATION

BETWEEN THE AZTECS
AND THE CONQUISTADORS.

Baquedano: IN MY OPINION,
IT IS CERTAINLY A GOOD TIME

TO RECONSIDER
THIS IMPORTANT CHAPTER

IN THE HISTORY
OF THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO.

Narrator: THE WIDELY
ACCEPTED VIEW

IS THAT THE CONQUISTADORS
TOOK ON THE MIGHTY AZTEC NATION

AN BROUGHT DOWN THEIR EMPIRE
WITH LITTLE RESISTANCE,

BUT THIS HISTORY OF COURSE
HAS BEEN WRITTEN BY THE VICTORS.

THE TRUTH IS NOT AS CLEAR-CUT.

AFTER FLEEING FROM
THE AZTEC UPRISING
IN TENOCHTITLÁN,

CORTÉS AND HIS MEN REGROUPED,

BUT IT TOOK TWO LONG YEARS

BEFORE THEY FINALLY
CONQUERED THE AZTECS.

BY THEN, CORTÉS WAS BACK IN
THE SPANISH KING'S GOOD GRACES

AND WAS APPOINTED GOVERNOR
OF THE NEW TERRITORY.

IN HIS NEW ROLE, HE DEMOLISHED
THE GREAT AZTEC CAPITAL

AND LAID THE FOUNDATIONS
FOR WHAT IS TODAY MEXICO CITY.

HIS METROPOLIS SOON BECAME
A BEACON OF EUROPEAN INFLUENCE

IN THE AMERICAS.

THE AZTEC RESISTANCE
WAS ALL BUT FORGOTTEN

UNTIL THE RUINS AT ZULTEPEC

PROVIDED SOME BALANCE
TO THE HISTORY.

Locke: I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT
BECAUSE IT TELLS AN ASPECT

OF THE STORY THAT IS
NOT OFTEN TOLD.

ONE OF THOSE REALLY IS TO
PERHAPS LAY BARE THE MYTH

THAT THE SPANIARDS
JUST SIMPLY MOVED IN

AND THE AZTECS ROLLED OVER

AND, IF YOU LIKE,
JUST GAVE UP

BECAUSE WE KNOW
THAT THEY DIDN'T.

THEY FOUGHT HARD.

Narrator: THERE CAN
NOW BE LITTLE DOUBT

THAT THE SPANISH CONQUEST
OF THE AZTEC EMPIRE

WAS A BLOODY AFFAIR
FOR BOTH SIDES.

EACH NATION RELIED
ON ITS OWN TACTICS,
TRADITIONS, AND BELIEFS.

THE SPANIARDS
EVENTUALLY TRIUMPHED,

BUT AT LEAST AT ZULTEPEC,
THERE IS DEFINITIVE
ARCHEOLOGICAL PROOF

THAT THE AZTECS FOUGHT BACK.

Announcer: REOPEN INVESTIGATIONS
OF THE PAST AT PBS ONLINE.

HISTORY IS REVEALING ITS
FORGOTTEN SECRETS AT...

"SECRETS OF THE DEAD"
WAS MADE POSSIBLE

BY CONTRIBUTIONS
TO YOUR PBS STATION FROM...