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9. The Aztecs - A Clash of Worlds (Part 1 of 2)

Fall of Civilizations

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Beneath the busy streets of Mexico City, a buried god lies waiting to be discovered...

This episode, we look back at the age of the Aztecs. Learn how this society grew from nothing to create one of the world's largest cities in the middle of a lake. Discover Aztec riddles, poetry and songs, as well as the bloody ritual of the flower wars. And hear the remarkable story of how this thriving empire collapsed all at once, in a matter of days.

** Fall of Civilizations the book is now available to pre-order: linktr.ee/fallofcivilizations **

PART 2: 9. The Aztecs - A Clash of Worlds (Part 2 ...

Full references and reading List: Patreon: 32391451

Credits:

Sound engineering by Thomas Ntinas

Digital reconstructions of Tenochtitlan by Santiago Ferreyra and ADVEstudio: https://www.advestudio.com/

Paintings provided by Rick Ortega and Augusto Ferrer-Dalmau

Voice Actors:

Jake Barrett-Mills
Rhy Brignell
Shem Jacobs
Annie Kelly
Lou Millington

Music by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: incompetech.com/

Title theme: Home At Last by John Bartmann. https://johnbartmann.com/

Chapters

0:00 - Intro
5:23 - Quetzalcoatlus
7:08 - Chicxulub Asteroid
11:38 - The Valley of Mexico
16:21 - Human Settlement in the Americas
18:17 - Teotihuacan, Tula & the Toltecs
20:52 - Sources on the Mexica/Aztecs
25:48 - Origin of the Mexica
30:07 -Tenochtilan
33:20 - Aztec Farming & Diet
37:31 - Cultural Developments
41:32 - Tenochtitlan as a Hub of Trade
43:44 - Aztec Riddles!
45:04 - Worship of Huitzilopochtli & Ritual Human Sacrifice
55:39 - Itzcoatl
56:00 - Chimalpopoca
57:03 - Tezozomoc
59:12 - Nezahualcoyotl
1:03:45 - Fall of the Tepanecs
1:11:25 - Tlacaelel
1:15:06 - Militarism & Growth of the Empire
1:18:19 - Communication & Administration
1:19:51 - The Flower Wars
1:26:00 - A Harbinger of Decline
1:27:50 - Worlds Apart
1:41:15 - The Meeting of the Two Worlds

20 Comments

@MaxwellAerialPhotography 5 years ago

Other Historians: to tell this story properly we go back a little and start from the beginning.
Paul Cooper: D I N O S A U R S

@me2525 4 years ago

The way you spent 16 min going from dinosaurs to horses and their extinction, just so you could point out the irony that the Aztecs would meet their downfall by Europeans coming over on horses was BRILLIANT.

@phtevenz 5 years ago

I tried watching History and Discovery Channel documentaries about the Aztecs, but they were literally unwatchable with the overly dramatic music and jump cuts like it was a bad action movie with very little substance. Thank you for respecting your audience enough let the history speak for itself! What a fascinating story you tell here.

@safeysmith6720 5 years ago

I really appreciate how this documentary ACTUALLY spends time retracing the history of the Aztecs and doesn’t just skim through it and go directly to the arrival of the Spanish like every other one does, even though this a series about the fall of empires!
Your work is very impressive! I really enjoyed it!

@saltoftheegg 1 year ago

For a second there i thought you were gonna tell me that the Aztecs met quetzalcoatlus

@knasigboll 5 years ago

The duality of man
Nezahualcoyotl building libraries while Izcoatl burns books

@johnfajer7691 5 years ago

I told my wife "Sorry, babe. I got plans tonight."

@joeborunda 5 years ago

As a mexican... i´ve learned more interesting things in this episode than all of my history classes. thank you!

@ElizabethAyotte 3 years ago

Time Stamps

Please feel free to add other important moments below if I've missed anything! Thank you Paul for such beautiful work!

0:00 The Rediscovery of Tenochtitlan and the Stone of Coyolxauhqui
3:38 Introduction
5:23 Quetzalcoatlus
7:08 Chicxulub Asteroid
11:38 The Valley of Mexico
16:21 Human Settlement in the Americas
18:17 Teotihuacan, Tula & the Toltecs
20:52 Sources on the Mexica/Aztecs
25:48 Origin of the Mexica/Aztecs
30:07 Tenochtilan
33:20 Farming & Diet
37:31 Cultural Developments
41:32 Tenochtitlan as a Hub of Trade
43:44 Riddles!
45:04 Worship of Huitzilopochtli & Ritual Human Sacrifice
55:39 Itzcoatl
56:00 Chimalpopoca
57:03 Tezozomoc
59:12 Nezahualcoyotl
1:03:45 Fall of the Tepanecs
1:11:25 Tlacaelel
1:15:06 Militarism & Growth of the Empire
1:18:19 Communication & Administration
1:19:51 The Flower Wars
1:26:00 A Harbinger of Decline
1:27:50 Societal Development Across the Globe and Hemispheric Differences
1:41:15 The Meeting of the Two Hemispheres

@Maravillasdelmexicoantiguo 5 years ago

The documentary was incredible, here in Mexico it is being a success with our followers. We appreciate that you have allowed us to be part of this project. Best regards.

@justinakers3196 5 years ago

Can we take a second to appreciate almost 2 hours of content with minimal ads. Perfect for listening to as I fall asleep

@spaceblanket6 5 years ago (edited)

I love the fact that he enunciates everything really well. It shows great respect to every culture he works on. Greetings from México.

@hrodz6946 5 years ago

Excellent work. As a Mexican I can tell you that this documentary on the Aztec empire is the best I've ever watched. Congrats!!!

@starchan2036 2 years ago

You produce some of the best history media content, not only on YouTube, but anywhere at all. The attention to facts, the writing and narration, the production quality are all magnificent. We're very fortunate to be able to be watch this, and even for free

@chizpa305 5 years ago

So the story of the Aztecs: Once upon a time, there were dinosaurs.......

@ProjectDarkWolf 5 years ago

You really knocked it out the ball park with this one. The timing of narration, video cuts and music alone put other channels to shame. This is why YouTube (and by extension the internet) sometimes justify commanding four hours of my day. Thank you FoC!

@jondavidgriffin 5 years ago

Ok so that's my evening sorted

@armandoes 5 years ago

I listen to these podcasts over and over and over when I go to sleep. They are simply perfect

@pedrol.grande3048 4 years ago (edited)

After the war was over, the prisoners had not just the pain of
having to destroyed the city where they lived, but also the pain
of having to built the new city on top and watched how their
history was erased.

@fe_viana_8066 5 years ago

I find absolutely fascinating the way you tell these stories. The way you explain in detail all the context, including the geology/climate, the connection in time with other events around the world, the correlation with today's society...I am very thankful for your work. It helps me understand the past, and sparks curiosity for learning more!