Summary of Los Aztecas: "La Conquista de México" (Documental Completo)

00:00:00 - 00:45:00

This documentary tells the story of the Aztecs, from their humble beginnings as a small nomadic tribe to their eventual conquest of Mexico. The documentary covers the significance of the Spanish conquest of Mexico, the fall of the Aztec Empire, and the role of Juan de Ulúa in the Spanish port of Veracruz. It also discusses the importance of firearms in the victory of the Spanish over the Aztecs, and how the Aztecs assimilated other cultures into their own.

• 00:00:00 In this video, historian Judith Hernández explains the significance of the Spanish conquest of Mexico, which began in 1519 with the arrival of Cortés and his army of "mysterious foreigners." By the end of the video, she discusses the fall of the Aztec Empire and the role of Juan de Ulúa, the fort on the Gulf of Mexico that became the Spanish port of Veracruz. Archaeologist Laura Carillo is searching for evidence of the Spanish fleet that arrived in Mexico in the 1500s.
• 00:05:00 500 years of history in this port 500 years of maritime navigation is possible you can find remains of ships or cargo that was then transported the variety of cultural riches you find in their waters since it is invaluable the ancient treasures found at the bottom of the sea in Veracruz provide compelling evidence for understanding both the Spanish settlers' lifestyle and some key pieces of their conquest practices underwater archaeology has come to call them "precious" to each of the surviving colleges of the water they have been understood at a price as being time capsules in the sense that they contained themselves a part of the history though it's important to keep in mind that they are not completely sealed or contextually undamaged organic materials are gradually disappearing, rather than lasting for long what you see are solid objects cannons anchors regions parts that are made to mind-body effectively the objects best preserved from those found at depth in the bay of Veracruz form part of one of the Spanish conquistadors' major advantages over the Aztecs, their mastery of metal weapons but really it was firearms that was the decisive factor in the defeat
• 00:10:00 The documentary covers the history of the Aztec Empire and the conquest of Mexico. This massacre, which is estimated to have killed 670 young adults, women, and children, was due in part to the Spanish's use of modern firearms. The Spanish were able to defeat the Aztecs because of their better technology, and their swords were no match for the Aztec's spears and machetes. The Spanish were also able to use firearms to great effect, and by the end of the documentary, you can see a prototype of a firearm that would later be known as the "barracuda."
• 00:15:00 In this documentary, we see how the Spanish conquistadors used their superior weapons and technology to overcome the indigenous people of Mexico. The Aztecas, a people of the Mexican Highlands, were no match for the Spaniards, and were eventually conquered. The documentary also covers the Aztecas' spiritual beliefs and how they helped the Spaniards win the war. The final segment of the documentary focuses on the construction of a temple to commemorate the Spaniards' victory over the Aztecas.
• 00:20:00 Hernán Cortés led an expedition to discover the New World and conquer Mexico in 1519. After a long and arduous battle, Cortés and his small remaining force were victorious and conquered Mexico. Aztec leader Ahuitzotl was killed during the retreat, and when asked if they had lost anything he replied, "No, we've only gained more." This meant that he was already thinking of recovering the few men who had survived and bringing them back to re-organize. With their allies, the documents, and a fresh start, Cortés planned to attack Tenochtitlan again in 1521. This documentary explores the role of guns in the Aztec-Spanish naval battle that determined the conquest, and how the fate of Mexico was decided. Historian Ignacio Silva Cruz is an expert on the campaign and discusses how Cortés was able to overcome an almost insurmountable odds with the help of a small number of loyal Spanish soldiers and allied indigenous people. It was almost a year later, on August 13th, 1521, when the Battle of Lake Texcoco finally ended Aztec rule over Mexico.
• 00:25:00 In 1521, Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés landed on the Mexican coast and, after defeating the Aztec Empire's main army, began an 18-month siege of Tenochtitlán. The Aztecs were using canoes that were not well-prepared for war, so Cortés destroyed the city's water supply and navy, and then marched into the capital. Within 17 days of the start of the siege, Tenochtitlán surrendered. The Spanish victory was due, in part, to the use of firearms against Aztec warriors in close-quarters combat.
• 00:30:00 In 1519, Spanish conquistadors arrived in Mexico, and within a few years, had reduced the indigenous population by more than half. In 1521, after three years of captivity, Moctezuma II was killed by his own people in an attempt to take over his empire. This led to the building of churches and the founding of Mexico's capital city, Tenochtitlan, which became the capital of Spanish America. Today, in Mexico City, remnants of both the Aztec and Spanish cultures can be found side by side. The descendants of Moctezuma, who had migrated to Europe, still hold powerful positions in Spanish society. However, other Mexican descendants continue to resist Spanish rule, and some are still fighting for indigenous rights.
• 00:35:00 The Aztecs are descendants of the Toltecs, Huastecs, and Mexica tribes, and their origins are explored in this documentary. It is a great responsibility to be a descendant of Moctezuma, and this is represented by the commitment to share the origins of the Founding Fathers of our nation and to tell the people here that we have a great secret - oral tradition passed down in our family is very important to us and we have been preserving it for centuries. I want this information to reach as many people as possible, and I am proud that my oral prediction is already coming true. The Postre was the deity tutelary of the Aztecs in the codex called the "Tira de la Peregrinación." It is seen represented and also being carried by the four Tlalocs, the divine carrier of gods. For me, it is just a great commitment and a great responsibility to be a descendant of Moctezuma. The Postre is just a common name for this object and, if not for postre, it is my personal religious prediction. The Aztec people's roots and legacy are revealed in this documentary, starting with their humble tribal origins and culminating in their empire. Our long
• 00:40:00 According to the myth, after abandoning their clan, the Aztecs wandered for 200 years until they found their promised land in what is now Mexico City. There, they built Mexico-Tenochtitlan, the capital city of the Aztecs, and found a fascinating religious mix of pre-Hispanic cultures. Today, Mexico is predominantly composed of a mixed heritage of indigenous Mexican and European cultures. The Aztecs, who venerated Catholic symbols that used pre-Hispanic elements, successfully consolidated their power by assimilating and worshipping the gods of other cultures up to 4,000 meters high. They built a temple to the god of rain, and it is the largest of Mesoamerica. This elevated mountain was the sacral center of the Aztec god empire, and the central priest waited to be taken to one of the children to be sacrificed. The Aztecs knew that they would always be a powerful group, and after the conquest, the Aztec pantheon merged gradually with Spanish religion. Within 10 to 25 years after the fall of Tenochtitlan, the Virgin of Guadalupe was first venerated at Tepeyac, a pre-Hispanic religious site. Significantly, this apparition occurred in the site of a
• 00:45:00 This documentary tells the story of the Aztecs, who conquered Mexico in the 15th century. The Aztecs played a game called "cuernos de viento" (wind horns), which was used as training for those who wanted to enter the Aztec army. The game has the same dimensions in terms of weapons that were used in the Aztec army. The origin of the game is military, and it is similar to the game played by the Purépechas today. The Aztecs were able to hold off the Aztec invaders for 40 years, but eventually they were unable to keep up. The fusion of these two civilizations resulted in the creation of a new world in Mexico. Our great nation is the result of European traditions mixed with the customs of Mesoamerican cultures that fed into the great Aztec empire. In this journey and beyond, we have traced the history of this great culture, the Aztecs, a people of humble origins who arrived from distant lands as a simple nomadic tribe and within 200 years became one of the most impressive empires in American and the world.