The Aztec and the Inca: the Rise and Fall
From their foundations in the 12th‑13th centuries to their collapse under Spanish conquest, the Aztec and Inca empires built vast networks of tribute, roads, and stone cities before disease and war ended them.
Chapters
- 0:07 Rise of the Aztec Empire
- 1:43 Rise of the Inca Empire
- 3:01 Encounter and Conquest
- 3:53 Disease and Collapse
On-screen text
- 0:07 Rise of the Aztec Empire
- 0:14 Rise of the Aztec Empire
- 0:31 Mexica founded Tenochtitlan, 1325 Historical record · Codex Mendoza
- 0:49 Tribute system fed the empire Historical record · Codex Mendoza
- 1:07 Telpochcalli trained warriors The Institute's interpretation · Bernardino de Sahagún, Florentine Codex, Book 12
- 1:25 Sun Stone shows five worlds Historical record · Aztec Calendar Stone (Sun Stone), National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City
- 1:34 Aztec empire at its height Historical record · Bernal Díaz del Castillo, The Conquest of New Spain, 1520
- 1:43 Rise of the Inca Empire
- 1:50 Rise of the Inca Empire
- 2:16 30,000 km of Inca roads The Institute's interpretation · UNESCO World Heritage listing for Qhapaq Ñan (2014)
- 2:34 Quipu recorded census data Historical record · Quipu of the 1570 census, National Museum of Anthropology, Lima
- 2:52 Inca empire at its height Historical record · Pedro Cieza de León, Crónica del Perú, 1553
- 3:01 Encounter and Conquest
- 3:26 Pizarro captures Atahualpa Historical record · Chronicle of the Conquest of Peru by Francisco de Jerez, 1534
- 3:44 Tenochtitlan falls, Aug 13 1521 Historical record · Bernal Díaz del Castillo, The Conquest of New Spain, 1521
- 3:53 Disease and Collapse
Sources
Historical record: Codex Mendoza · Aztec Calendar Stone (Sun Stone), National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City · Bernal Díaz del Castillo, The Conquest of New Spain, 1520 · Garcilaso de la Vega, Comentarios Reales, Book I · Quipu of the 1570 census, National Museum of Anthropology, Lima · Pedro Cieza de León, Crónica del Perú, 1553 · Letter of Hernán Cortés to Charles V, 1520 · Chronicle of the Conquest of Peru by Francisco de Jerez, 1534 · Bernal Díaz del Castillo, The Conquest of New Spain, 1521
The Institute's interpretation: Bernardino de Sahagún, Florentine Codex, Book 12 · UNESCO World Heritage listing for Qhapaq Ñan (2014) · John H. Rowe, "Inca Architecture", American Antiquity 1970
Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 60 s of CPU.
Scenes Hathor has no parts for yet (16) — the next things to make
- A bustling dock at Tenochtitlan where canoes unload baskets of maize, textiles, and jade.
- Young boys in simple clothing practicing with macuahuitl swords under a stern instructor.
- Young boys in simple clothing practicing with macuahuitl swords under a stern instructor.
- Map animation showing the extent of tributary territories radiating from Tenochtitlan.
- Stone terraces being laid out on a high Andean plateau, workers moving large rocks.
- Stone terraces being laid out on a high Andean plateau, workers moving large rocks.
- Massive stone blocks being fitted together without mortar by organized work crews.
- Massive stone blocks being fitted together without mortar by organized work crews.
- Map animation of the four quarters (suyus) radiating from Cusco.
- Encounter and Conquest: Illustrate the arrival of Spanish forces, key battles, and the eventual fall of both capitals.
- Spanish caravels unloading soldiers who march alongside thousands of indigenous allies toward the lake.
- A solemn courtyard where Túpac Amaru stands before a firing squad.
- A solemn courtyard where Túpac Amaru stands before a firing squad.
- Vibrant view of Cuzco before the epidemic; Inca nobles, traders, and llamas fill the sun‑lit plaza.
- Close‑up of an Inca woman with pox pustules on her arms, cradling a sick child whose face is pallid.
- Wide sunrise view of both Tenochtitlan and Cuzco ruins, overgrown and silent, underscoring the collapse of great empires.