Archaeologists make a grisly find: Four hundred 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 through 16th centuries. But who were the victims and why were they killed?
The forensic experts first 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 cheekbones. But intriguingly, some of the skulls from Zultepec didn’t fit that profile. 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.
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. Five centuries ago, this was the center of the Aztec world, the capital city of Tenochtitlan.
A wandering tribe of Aztecs from the north settled on this swampy part of central Mexico in the 1300’s. From migratory beginnings, they rose up to rule an Empire for three hundred years. The Aztecs were fierce warriors, who ruthlessly conquered and subjugated neighboring peoples 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.
Records show that sacrifice was central to Aztec culture. The Aztec concept of the world, their understanding of the universe, and their right to live and participate in it was based in the act of sacrifice to the gods. To them, sacrifice was not a form of punishment, but the ultimate opportunity to do one’s part for the perpetuation of the universe. Human sacrifice was required to keep their world turning. The Aztecs practiced the ritual with great frequency, using their enemies as the sacrificial lambs.
In 1519, the wily and determined conquistador Hernán Cortés was peacefully received by Emperor Montezuma, a sophisticated leader born of Aztec royalty, in Tenochtitlan. Montezuma had been warned of the Spaniard’s arrival, and was unsettled by this white-skinned man riding a strange, unknown beast. He thought Cortés’ appearance might be the fulfillment of an ancient prophesy about a returning Aztec god, Quetzalcoatl who was said to have disappeared over the seas in the East and would be returning. Though wary, Montezuma 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 Montezuma captive. 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.
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 Tenochtitlan 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. With few horses and an ever-growing number of men and women in tow, the column’s progress slowed to a crawl. Cortés 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.
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 like an easy target for the well-trained Aztec warriors. There are no 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. As was their custom, the Aztecs would have captured their enemies alive. Their fates would be sealed on the altar, not the battlefield. In Zultapec, the Spanish would become the latest offering to the Aztec gods.
The widely accepted view, is that the Conquistadors took on the mighty Aztec nation, and brought down their Empire with little resistance. But this history, of course, has been written by the victors. The bodies at Zultapec lay bare the myth that the Spaniards just simply moved in and the Aztecs rolled over and just gave up. In reality they didn’t; they fought hard.
not a surprise. i trust the archaeologists looked at the teeth: fine, white spanish teeth. young skulls, too–under 30 yrs. very european. not to mention, invading a foreign area. this story has contemporary elements.
eventually, high technology wins. PBS–thank you for the view.
The program is a new low in history programs for PBS.
Zultepec was well documented both by Cortes, letter 2, and Bernal Diaz de Castillo (page 310 in the Penguin 1963 edition.) Further there is an excellent article on this in Archaeologia Mexicana vol XI num 63, and HUgh Thomas’ book, Conquest also references it–so to represent it as “a great find” is disingenuous at best, and just misleading–to claim that they found an obscure Aztec manuscript when in fact it from the very well known Florentine Codex, book XII, f. 68. (see Anderson & Dibble for an excellent English translation of this) and has absolutely no connection with Zultepec whatsoever. And you left out a great detail from one of the Spanish captives who wrote on a wall of his prison, “Aqui estuvo el sin ventura de Juan Yuste” Really a sad piece of graffiti since it was written by a person who was to be sacrificed…
I could go on, but you get the idea.
No comment!
À lire !
Des pistes qui place un autre chiquier precolombien dans le casse-tête des historiens de l’Homme, Par l’esprit parlera notre race ! Quelle noble idéal à partager.
I love being half native and i just happen to be aztec , that does not mean i loved what my people did , but like it or not i am part of them . And i am very proud to be AZTEC and italian , spanish , filiopino .
My ancestry comes from Mexico. Everyone who comes from Mexico claims to have Aztec blood but the truth is that not everyone can do that. There where hundreds of tribes that existed during those times in Mexico. Also, Spaniards were dirty little men who did not even know how to take a bath and would do so only one or twice a year. That is why there were so many diseases in Europe. It was not until they came in contact with the Natives of these continents that they learn how to clean them-selves. I just get tired of hearing and reading comments of people who talk of the Europeans as being these grand conquistadors when they really were not.
noemi is correct. many have the idea that everyone born or from mexico has aztec blood. the europeans did away with the so called aztecs. i thought i was one until i look more into my family and found out the my maternal grandparents are otomi. my paternal grandfather is tlaxcaltec and don´t really know about my grandmother.
Let’s not be silly. Europeans washed on a regular basis, just like the Aztecs, and had been doing so since soap was brought from the Middle East during the Crusades four centuries previous to the invasion of the Americas. You cannot claim the Aztecs were more ‘civilized’ than their conquerors. In point of fact, the Aztecs were the conquistadors of central America, waylaying and terrorizing lesser communities to exert their control. What the conquistadors accomplished cannot be dismissed simply because in today’s light it would be considered atrocious any more than the entire Aztec culture should be dismissed simply because in today’s light their rituals and practices were horrifying. I highly recommend the Michael Wood documentary series, ‘The Conquistadors’. It does an excellent job of spelling out exactly what these men accomplished without glorifying their acts. It also sheds light on the awesome state of Aztec culture and infrastructure, and the reaction of the first Europeans on first catching sight of Mexico.
Someone had to stop these devil worshipers. i would have been proud to serve under Cortes, He is a figure of Biblical proportion. people not disgusted by the Aztecs are themselves disgusting.
i have to agree with David and Noemi, Aztecs were the conquistadors of Central America and not everyone who is Mexican is of Aztec . Also everyone needs to realize that BEING Mexican is more of a culture; It is an ethic background that you posses. And Patrick, WOW devil worshipers? Do you know that Cortes and his men used God as their purpose for slaughtering all of the Indians? So please do not say he should be in the Bible you are being a total hypocrite! Please study more about this before you say things that are totally out of line. And no matter what you think, a lot of your everyday life consists of native traditions and life.
I do not know what to say. I think that the sacrifices were evil and disgusting. Hernan Cortez had no right to fight Aztecs, either. So, I do know which side is correct.
the combination of two cultures and two worlds is what mexico is today blood and tears of fallen warriors is the foundation
Just because it seems devilish to you for what they did to their people with sacrifices does not mean they were disgusting. They believed in gods and they thought the gods were telling them to do this. Many religions base everything upon a certain “Savior” or “God”. So just because you don’t like what they did does not make it wrong or disgusting. Try thinking what they were thinking back in those days.
Well, ritualy killing thousands of people is pretty disgusting and wrong in our society. If you’re going to judge one side by the 21. century standards, it’s only fair to apply those same standards to the other side too.
P.S. soap was not brought to Europe during the crusades, it was known during the antiquity.
About 2 years ago I found out I’m part Native and Spaniard; I was born in Mexico City but spend most of my life in California. I don’t follow most of the Mexican traditions but I think our culture is very interesting. I do have a comment; for some reason God made the journay possible for the, “The Conquistadors” to end human sacrifices. Even if blood needed to be shed. Yes, it’s a devilish act but then again the Spaniards didn’t do a good job either.
May I suggest reading “Conquest – Montezuma, Cortes, and the Fall of Old Mexico” by Hugh Thomas. It is an excellent, yet lengthy, account, based on the Florentine Codex et al, of the fall of the Mexica in 1521. As an American of Mexican descent it saddens me to think about the destruction of Tenochtitlan but the Mexica were pagan murderers and potentially cannibals (still unproven). David, the book mentions how the Mexica were disgusted by the smell and filth of the Spaniards. Mickey, the Nazis killed millions of innocent people just over half a century ago so whose moral standard is lower? Maria, while the Spanish did promote Christianity to the Mexica and were sickened by human sacrifice, their main motivation was enriching themselves with gold. Period.
Although human sacrifice seems “immoral” and “disturbing” to Christians, Aztecs believed theyre Gods required blood to keep everything in motion and for life to continue. For MOST of Christianity, especially in its beginning stages did EXACTLY the same thing. Christians traveled from land to land demanding that these cultures believe Christianity or die by the sword, whats the difference? The difference is Aztecs more than likely were not HYPOCRITES.
This really is BAD sensationalism. Teotihuacan was vital long before the Aztecs came down from the hills, and was NOT part of their empire. The booboisie has taken over PBS as well as the Republican party.
In that wine-and-brie radicalism that’s such a hallmark of PBS (so Lefty, yet so neoconservative when the subject turns to the Mideast), we’re invited to salute the Aztec massacre of early Spaniards, since the blowhards in public television see this as an early “liberation” struggle by the oppressed peoples of the Mexico. All the world’s chronic strugglers deserve liberation from honkie oppression (except, of course, the Palestinians). I’ll pass on this lickspittle nonsense. Not my tribe.
This AZTEC RACE were murders and killers they don’t have the right to kill a person what fucking garbage iditot race. I heard they even killed babies that time hope thier having fun HELL i dont think the real god expect these kinda of people to heaven. Do they really need to kill those people for no reason? they believe in some fake god. No wonder they died out they killed each other by doing some evil thing.
Oh and aztec race still sucks to they killed thier own people.
How do I get there??? I am in mexico city! Please help!!
For all of you apparently, heartless, soul less. thoughtless, uneducated, hatemongers and supporters of death of those who do not believe in your Euro-centric religions, politics and sports teams, sacrifice by any white West European invaders is ok? Right? Because they unquestionably have the right to kill. The European Anglo-Saxon-Norman killing and murderous ways are righteous, correct? Because their “God” is better? More humane? More compassionate? Really? If you believe in Christianity as did the Spanish, (almost as much as they believed in gold and riches) WWJD? Would he kill the innocent and technologically unadvanced people without mercy, pity or compassion and with such fierce savagery? Why not? The Nazis believed they were doing god’s work too. Stalin maybe not so much but he did kill 10’s of millions of his own Slavic race that Hitler had intended to exterminate. Do you believe the invasion of the Americas and the wars against native American Indians is ok because the white man is sanctioned to do just that by your God? How does that make you or your heroes less savage and cruel than the Aztecs? Manifest destiny anyone? Sacrifice Vietnamese, Koreans, Afghanis, Iraqis, Nicaraguans, and Muslims all of this is ok because the white man’s god is more powerful, more right, and death in his name is for the higher good. White man’s god is money, and in god we trust. And as long as you don’t have to cooperate with, understand, comprehend, compromise or creatively engage with diverse political. social or religious based societies, why should you care? That might make you weak right? Or is it that by expanding your mind and thoughts it might make you wrong? Forget the massacre of the native American populations. Have you read the history of America’s Pinkerton Detectives? About what they did to unarmed women and children in the name of corporate progess. Forget it. Your cathection for closed minded mass murderers with terminal cases of D.A. is a disease! May you get well soon so you can suffer the insight of your ignorance.
Why did that scientist who led the search never change her clothes? If it was to create the illusion that this search was all happening on the same day, it didn’t work. Did nobody putting this together notice? Amazing!
Have seen this twice. The Aztec, Incan, Mayan & other Native American cultures were 1 of violence-human sacrificies, etc. What los conquistadores did in the long run is the lesser of 2 evils. Yes, they did what was for Spain & Portugal (Brazil)’s benefit, but those nations in Latin American are independent. Catholicism was brought by sword but it’s better than the Aztec faith. I know the conquistadores sometimes did bad things such as war atrocities, but it’s better that the Aztec, Inca, Mayan, etc. were defeated & replaced with Catholicism. Not all cultures & religions are the same. The Aztec, Inca, etc. were 1 of violence & the world’s a better place because Aztec human sacrificies were abolished by the Spaniards.
Added note, in 2006, Mel Gibson was condemned for his movie Apocalypto because he told the facts of Mayan human sacrifices. Incidentally my parent came from India & I don’t believe the Portuguese owe me an apology for the Goa Inquisition where Catholicism was brought by war because Goa is independent. Getting to this topic, it’s better that the Spaniards & Portuguese brought Catholicism though by sword & abolished Native American religions though wars & death happened. The Spaniards & Portuguese treated the Native Americans better then the way the Native Americans treated eachother.
Truth is that back then, it was might makes right mentality. The Aztec, Inca & Mayan empires were created by might make right. During that time slavery was acceptable & they didn’t have the idea of treating all ethnic groups with =ity. The Spaniards conduct must be judged for it’s time & again, while los conquistadores did some bad things, they’e the lesser of 2 evils. It’s unlikely the Aztecs would’ve ended human sacrificies anytime soon & the Aztecs, Incas, etc. were running around naked, kiling eachother with arrows for territory. I don’t defend everything the Spaniards & Portuguese did & sorry to be repeat the Americas are long independent. But it’s better that the results turned out the way they did, because the Spaniards & Portuguese ended Native American barbarism & though Catholicism was brought by wars, Catholicism is superior to the American Indian faiths.
YOU’RE WRONG BUDDY. NOT ALL NATIVES FROM MEXICO NEEDED TO BE CONQUERED TO BE CONVERTED. I am from a region from northern Mexico that was never really “conquered” by the Spanish. But the natives (Yaquis) wanted to be converted. The Spanish never conquered them. The Spanish were just and evil or worse than the Aztecs sometimes.
Ricardo, Mexico & the rest of Latin America are better places because los conquistadores defeated the Aztecs, Incas & Mayans. Yes, los conquistadores sometimes did bad things which haven’t been denied, but there’s no need for the Spaniards & Portuguese to apologize to the Native Americans. Also, no the Spaniards weren’t worse than the Aztecs-they were better than the Aztecs. Catholicism doesn’t involve sacrificing kids, families to the Gods, though Catholicism was brought by war. Many American Indian soldiers fought on the side of los conquistadores against the Aztecs, Incas, etc. Many atrocities were by American Indians fighting on the side of los conquistadores against other American Indians as life was so bad. Almost all of the American Indian tribes were 1 of violence & ruthlessness. The Spaniards treated the Amerindians better than the way Amerindians treated eachother. Running around naked as the American Indians did & killing eachother for land isn’t a civilization.
The people who say that the Native Americans (American Indians) were noble savages hate Catholicism & Christianity. They hate that Catholicism & the ideas brought by the Spaniards was more advanced than what was there before. What the Spaniards & Portuguese did is the lesser of 2 evils. As to diseases killing American Indians in the Americas, it’s hard to know if it was imported or if it was native. There has been speculation that the Native American diseases which killed so many may have been native, because the American Indians lived & worked in dirty conditions which exposed them. It’s better that the results turned out the way they did than have the Native American cultures continue because we wouldn’t have advances today incl. cultural today.
Added note Ricardo, let’s let the past stay in the past. Whatever the Spaniards did right or wrong is history. It’s useless to complain about what happened hundreds of years ago & it’s not happening today. It can’t be denied that had the Aztecs, Incas, etc. not been conquered, the American Indians would’ve continued their violent practices for how long. But that’s history. Let’s focus on what’s happening now & stop dwelling on the past. American Indians today have = chance to succeed & again, stay with the present.
every culture has an evil past. there is no perfect race or culture. our ancestors were all at one time savages. look at us now though. arent we still savage? children being shot, people being murdered for whatever reason. what makes any of us any better than the other. people have used modern examples of savagery. hitler,stalin,even the americans. no one is better just because their people didnt sacrafice humans to a god. they slaughtered people who they viewed inferior or wanted to conquer. look back into each of your cultures and ancestors and tell me if people didnt die for their growth. as for the difference in gods why should any religion be discriminated against. every one can find a flaw in different relugions.some have more than one god, some require sacrifice, some require the people to retain from everyday life. why be ignorant when every religion to a person may seem the only way for a better afterlife. ignorance is a disease every culture faces. think about how our ancestors all had dark pasts before you deside to judge…just some food for your thoughts.
I suggest that some who comment read “Guns, Germs, and Steel”, but Jared Diamond. It’s pretty well accepted now that disease was key to conquering the Americas. I am stunned that more don’t know about the history and human sacrifices of the Aztecs, who were considered barbarians by many of their neighbors, like the Toltecs, who had already moved beyond human sacrifice. Human sacrifice has been a standard practice in early cultures all over the world so everyone has it in their cultural heritage even if it’s thousands of years back. I’ve always thought of the Aztecs as kind of the Nazis of their period and look how barbaric the Nazis – living in the “modern” age – were!
Nazism can’t be compared to the Aztec monsters(as far as I am concerned anyone with a drop of Aztec blood in them is a monster). I would dare say it would be a good thing for Aztec DNA to be purged from the human genome all together. The sheer level of evil that the Aztec committed for CENTURIES! The Aztecs didn’t fall into madness, look at their history. They have always been evil! You can’t compare the evil sins of Aztec/Mexico to the rest of the world. Heck you can’t even compare the Aztec’s to the Bolsheviks, Mao or Hitlers Nazi’s.
And the fact that descendants of the Aztecs are going to great lengths to both deny and minimize the extent of the Aztec’s monstrous acts, only leads more credence to the fact that they are pure evil. Beyond redemption or repair.
It is sad to say that Cortez and his soldiers weren’t thorough enough in their annihilation of the Aztec.
Llosgli, while you’re right on the point that Aztec & other Amerindian descendants try to deny the violent history be it human sacrifices, etc. with the ‘Noble Savage’ myth, no ethnic group should be exterminated. Most Aztecs like other Amerindians are Mestizo as Spaniard men usu. married Amerindian women which is why most people in Latin America are Mestizo-Spaniard (sometimes Portuguese & Basque) mixed with Amerindian. Not every1 who is Aztec is bad, so it’s wrong to say all Aztecs are evil.
I am against the politically safe beliefs of people like Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez who condemns Spaniard Catholic, yet when President Hugo Chavez got sick with cancer, he asked Spaniard Catholic Drs. to save him. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez spreads myths that the Amerindians were peaceful savages when in fact the Amerindians had slavery, wars, human sacrfices, cannibalism (incl. the Tainos & Canibs). I agree with columnist Dinesh D’Souza in supporting the right of Spaniards & Catholics to celebrate el dia de la hispanidad (Columbus Day in the U.S.). We must debunk the myth that land was ’stolen from the American Indians’ when it’s more complex. But no ethnic group should be exterminated. American Indians today have the same chance as every1 else has to get ahead in life & succeed. An Aztec must be viewed individually for what he or she does, not what their ancestors did in the 14th to 16th Centuries.
Added note-I don’t agree with everything the Spaniards did. I don’t believe in el sistema de castas where Creoles were in the best positions, Mestizos average & the lowest positions were the Amerindians with the Blacks the lowest & Blacks being slaves. I’ll repeat that for that time in history the Spaniards treated the Amerindians better to no differently than the way Amerindians treated eachother. Slavery is wrong-both the Spaniards & Amerindians practiced this. What Llsogli overlooks is that Hernan Cortez’s wife was American Indian – her name was Marina & they had a son Martin Cortez. Hernan Cortez also helped some of Montezuma’s kids & Montezuma referred to him as Malinche. There were things that the Spaniards incl. the conquistadores did to help American Indians esp. as most Spaniard men incl. conquistadores married Amerindian women & had kids-los Mestizos. Most of the soldiers who helped in conquering Mexico & other Latin American nations weren’t Spanish-they were usu. Indian allies such as Tlaxcalan, Choulas, Totonacs who fought the Aztecs, Incas, etc. Only 2% of the soldiers were Spaniards.