Empire of The Aztecs

The Aztecs ruled one of the most powerful civilisations ever seen in the Americas. They were ruthless warriors and ingenious engineers, who conquered a huge territory and built towering pyramids and ambitious civil engineering projects using manpower alone. But after just 200 years their vast empire was wiped out by Spanish invaders, and their cities and monuments were destroyed. Today many of the Aztecs’ secrets lie buried underneath Mexico City. Now archaeologists are digging deeper than ever before to find out who the Aztecs were and how they built their remarkable empire.

In 1519, with a small band of a few hundred soldiers, Cortes invaded the mighty Aztec empire. Although the Aztecs greatly outnumbered them, Cortes's men were able to conquer the natives and capture their emperor. The arrival of Cortes in 1519 helped shape Mexico today.

It was a moment unique in human history: the face-to-face meeting between two men from civilizations a world apart. In 1519 Hernán Cortés arrived on the shores of Mexico, determined not only to expand the Spanish empire but to convert the natives to Catholicism and carry off a fortune in gold. That he saw nothing paradoxical in his intentions is one of the most remarkable and tragic aspects of this unforgettable story.