Conquistadors 1. The Fal of the Aztecs (1 of 15)

Conquistadors

The Spanish conquest of the Americas in the sixteenth century was one of the most cataclysmic events in history. Spanish expeditions had to endure the most unbelievable hardships to open up the lands of the New World. Few stories, if any, in history match these for sheer drama, endurance and distance covered. In conquistadors Michael Woods travels in the footsteps of some of the greatest of the Spanish adventures, from Amazonia to Lake Titicaca, and from the desserts of North Mexico to the heights of Macchu Picchu.

Episode 1: The Fall of the Aztecs
Hernan Cortes left Cuba in 1519 seeking riches in the island to the west. Instead he discovered, and ultimately destroyed, a hitherto unknown civilization. Join Micheal Wood as he retraces this fateful expedition. Read Spanish eyewitness accounts that describe the conquistadors' awe at the Aztec achievements and the lust for native treasure. Learn the Aztec' side of the story by scrolling trough pictographs that tell of the agonizing fall of the empire.

"In the beginning," said the Aztecs, "the white men came in one boat," Nearly 500 years ago, Spanish adventurers landed on a small island off the coast of Mexico, It was the first contact between the civilisations of the old world and the new, The prelude to one of the greatest events in history, It's a story of almost incredible endurance, heroism, greed and brutality.
And all the more poignant today as we see its long-term effects unfolding across the globe.
It 's known still in the Americas as the conquest, the "Conquista".
And the larger-than-life men who achieved it are the conquerors, the "Conquistadors".