WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.720 --> 00:00:04.040 Welcome. This is Marcia for Radio I and today I 2 00:00:04.080 --> 00:00:08.039 will be reading National Geographic History Magazine. As a reminder, 3 00:00:08.160 --> 00:00:10.720 Radio I is a reading service intended for people who 4 00:00:10.800 --> 00:00:14.119 are blind or have other disabilities that make it difficult 5 00:00:14.119 --> 00:00:17.440 to read printed material. Please join me now for the 6 00:00:17.440 --> 00:00:22.800 first article entitled Thracian Treasure Buried Gold of the Balkans 7 00:00:23.440 --> 00:00:28.039 Across Bulgaria, Romania, Greece and Turkey. The Thracians buried caches 8 00:00:28.079 --> 00:00:31.760 of treasure. Since the mid twentieth century, these exquisite gold 9 00:00:31.800 --> 00:00:35.520 and silver pieces have been coming to light, revealing unexpected 10 00:00:35.920 --> 00:00:41.039 traits of this ancient peopil. This article by Hangel Carlos 11 00:00:41.119 --> 00:00:46.520 Perez Aguero. For the longest time, little was known about 12 00:00:46.520 --> 00:00:49.960 the ancient Thracians, a group of highly diverse tribes of 13 00:00:50.039 --> 00:00:53.640 Indo European origin. At the beginning of the fourth millennium 14 00:00:53.719 --> 00:00:57.280 b c. They settled in what is today European Turkey, 15 00:00:57.560 --> 00:01:01.079 Eastern Greece, and Bulgaria. At the art of the Middle Ages, 16 00:01:01.119 --> 00:01:05.079 Slavic migrants joined the mix. Thracians left behind few of 17 00:01:05.120 --> 00:01:09.480 their own written records. Most documentation comes from the ancient Greeks, 18 00:01:09.480 --> 00:01:14.000 who primarily portrayed the Thracians as barbarians. They appear, for example, 19 00:01:14.079 --> 00:01:18.400 several times in Homer's Iliad as allies of Troy. Later 20 00:01:18.439 --> 00:01:22.120 in the tale, the Thracian king Rhesus makes an appearance. 21 00:01:22.359 --> 00:01:26.599 In the fifth century b c. Write writers Herodotus, Thucydides, 22 00:01:26.680 --> 00:01:31.400 and Xenophon described them as warriors and mercenaries in their accounts, 23 00:01:32.040 --> 00:01:35.280 usually depicted in battle attire. The Thracians also are believed 24 00:01:35.319 --> 00:01:40.480 to appear on Athenian made red figure ceramics. Several relatively 25 00:01:40.519 --> 00:01:45.159 recent archaeological discoveries have greatly expanded what is known about 26 00:01:45.159 --> 00:01:49.920 the Thracians. Their monumental city of Suthopolis was uncovered in 27 00:01:50.120 --> 00:01:53.599 nineteen forty eight during the construction of a reservoir near 28 00:01:53.680 --> 00:01:58.439 the town of Kazanlach in central Bulgaria. Built between three 29 00:01:58.519 --> 00:02:03.359 two five and three one, the fortified city served as 30 00:02:03.359 --> 00:02:08.000 the capital of the Odrysian Kingdom of Thrace and was 31 00:02:08.039 --> 00:02:13.120 the personal residence of King Suthis. It proved the Thracians 32 00:02:13.159 --> 00:02:19.080 did in fact establish lasting political organizations. Additional stunning fines 33 00:02:19.080 --> 00:02:21.960 were uncovered between nineteen forty eight and nineteen eighty five. 34 00:02:22.439 --> 00:02:25.879 These different hordes of silver and gold objects were named 35 00:02:25.919 --> 00:02:28.400 for the areas where they were found. They date back 36 00:02:28.479 --> 00:02:31.520 mainly to the Classical period fifth to fourth centuries b 37 00:02:31.680 --> 00:02:35.199 C and to the beginning of the Hellenistic period third 38 00:02:35.280 --> 00:02:40.280 century BC, although some date from both earlier and later periods. 39 00:02:40.400 --> 00:02:43.080 One of the most recent discoveries came in two thousand four. 40 00:02:43.639 --> 00:02:50.840 Archaeologists excavating the Svititsana burial mound in Schipka, central Bulgaria 41 00:02:51.120 --> 00:02:55.400 uncovered a solid gold funerary mask weighing over a pound 42 00:02:55.439 --> 00:02:58.919 and a half. They also found bronze armor, weapons, silverware, 43 00:02:59.199 --> 00:03:02.560 and Greek sramic from the fifth century BC. Aside from 44 00:03:02.599 --> 00:03:06.520 the immense monetary value of the objects, these discoveries provided 45 00:03:06.520 --> 00:03:11.840 ground bak breaking insights into Thracian society. Thracians enjoyed a 46 00:03:11.879 --> 00:03:16.080 fairly advanced culture, noted for its exquisite artisans, a rich 47 00:03:16.120 --> 00:03:19.719 heritage of myths and beliefs, and a developed economy based 48 00:03:19.759 --> 00:03:25.199 on crafts, agriculture, and trade. In nineteen forty nine, three 49 00:03:25.240 --> 00:03:28.199 brothers digging for clay to make bricks at a tile 50 00:03:28.280 --> 00:03:34.680 factory near the city of Panajerishta in northern a southern Bulgaria, 51 00:03:35.080 --> 00:03:39.479 unearthed nine perfectly preserved solid gold containers weighing over thirteen 52 00:03:39.520 --> 00:03:43.479 pounds in total, they had accidentally discovered what would become 53 00:03:43.520 --> 00:03:49.560 known as the Panajerishta. Treasure. Pieces included a double handled anphra, 54 00:03:50.080 --> 00:03:54.400 three small jugs for wine with disc shaped mouths called ulpas, 55 00:03:54.879 --> 00:03:58.639 a shala bowl probably used to make libations for the divinities, 56 00:03:58.919 --> 00:04:03.439 called a fiale, and four ceremonial drinking vessels shaped like 57 00:04:03.520 --> 00:04:09.240 animal horns called rytons. Zoomorphic or mythological motifs typical of 58 00:04:09.319 --> 00:04:14.159 the Greek figurative repertoire, including Dionysius of Paolo and Artemis, 59 00:04:14.199 --> 00:04:17.160 decorate the pieces. There thought to have been a table 60 00:04:17.240 --> 00:04:21.399 service for a ceremonial symposium. The vessels date from the 61 00:04:21.560 --> 00:04:24.560 end of the fourth or beginning of the third century BC. 62 00:04:25.279 --> 00:04:29.360 Some experts associate them with King Suthus the Third, who 63 00:04:29.399 --> 00:04:32.160 served who lived at that time, although the evidence is 64 00:04:32.199 --> 00:04:36.360 not conclusive. The only inscriptions visible on the vessels mentioned 65 00:04:36.399 --> 00:04:41.199 the Greek polis of Lampsacus, located on the southern coast 66 00:04:41.319 --> 00:04:46.279 of the Hellespontus, now known as Dardenell's. They suggest that 67 00:04:46.319 --> 00:04:49.439 the pieces were cast in the workshops of that city. However, 68 00:04:49.480 --> 00:04:52.399 it seems likely that the gold itself came from the 69 00:04:52.480 --> 00:04:58.240 substantial gold deposits on Mount Pangaeon, located in the southern 70 00:04:58.279 --> 00:05:04.399 Thracian territory near Biegean coast Bivoro Treasure. In nineteen seventy four, 71 00:05:04.519 --> 00:05:09.560 while plowing near the town of Bavoro Berovo in central 72 00:05:09.680 --> 00:05:14.920 North Bulgaria near the Danube, agricultural workers unearthed another Thracian treasure. 73 00:05:15.439 --> 00:05:19.319 This horde consisted of five silver vessels with details applied 74 00:05:19.360 --> 00:05:24.040 in gold, three rytons, an ovoid opa and a wide bowl. 75 00:05:24.519 --> 00:05:29.639 Restoration work brought back the Borrovo treasures. Dazzling appearance and 76 00:05:30.199 --> 00:05:37.279 decorations of grif Greek mythological iconography were revealed. Other traits, meanwhile, 77 00:05:37.519 --> 00:05:42.519 showed the influence of the Great Eastern Empire of Archimedid Persia, 78 00:05:42.680 --> 00:05:45.759 into which Darius, the first King of Persia between five 79 00:05:45.879 --> 00:05:50.800 twenty two and forty eighty six BC, had re subjugated Thrace. 80 00:05:52.319 --> 00:05:56.120 One inscription mentions the king Cortus the First, who lived 81 00:05:56.160 --> 00:05:58.720 in the first half of the fourth century BC and 82 00:05:58.839 --> 00:06:03.759 ruled the ancient threeistion Odrisian state. While the treasure may 83 00:06:03.800 --> 00:06:06.720 have been his, it could also have been a diplomatic 84 00:06:06.800 --> 00:06:12.360 gift presented to another leader Rogozan Treasure. In the winter 85 00:06:12.439 --> 00:06:14.800 of nineteen eighty five, a local from the village of 86 00:06:14.920 --> 00:06:18.920 Rogozin in northwestern Bulgaria was working in his orchard when 87 00:06:18.920 --> 00:06:21.720 he came across the first piece of another huge collection 88 00:06:21.800 --> 00:06:25.639 of Thracian treasure. The Rogozan Treasure is the largest of 89 00:06:25.720 --> 00:06:28.920 the Thracian hordes found so far, and is one of 90 00:06:28.920 --> 00:06:32.199 the largest in all of European antiquity. It consists of 91 00:06:32.240 --> 00:06:36.519 one hundred and eight phili, forty five ole pays and 92 00:06:36.600 --> 00:06:41.920 three goblets with embrasse embossed figurative decoration, mostly silver with 93 00:06:42.040 --> 00:06:45.720 some gold additions. In total, the pieces weigh over forty 94 00:06:45.720 --> 00:06:49.079 four pounds. It striking that the weight of some pieces 95 00:06:49.120 --> 00:06:53.399 corresponds exactly to both Macedonian and Persian units of measure, 96 00:06:53.759 --> 00:06:56.680 which suggests that the pieces could have been produced with 97 00:06:56.720 --> 00:07:00.480 the intention of using them as payments in metal. There 98 00:07:00.560 --> 00:07:03.600 are a notable variety of styles and designed evolution in 99 00:07:03.639 --> 00:07:06.720 this hoard, suggesting the pieces were made and collected at 100 00:07:06.720 --> 00:07:10.879 different times. The names of Thrician kings from various periods 101 00:07:11.079 --> 00:07:14.399 are engraved on the vessels, which suggests the treasure was 102 00:07:14.439 --> 00:07:16.959 added to during the fifth and fourth centuries b C. 103 00:07:17.839 --> 00:07:21.399 Experts believe the collection could be the dynastic trousseau of 104 00:07:21.439 --> 00:07:25.680 a wealthy family, accumulated by several generations over a hundred 105 00:07:25.720 --> 00:07:29.279 fifty years or more. For some unknown reason, the treasure 106 00:07:29.399 --> 00:07:32.399 was buried by its owners and never recovered. It stayed 107 00:07:32.519 --> 00:07:35.519 safely stored under ground until its discovery at the end 108 00:07:35.519 --> 00:07:38.920 of the last century. Other hordes have been discovered, including 109 00:07:38.959 --> 00:07:43.160 the fourth century b C. Leu Covit Treasure nineteen fifty three, 110 00:07:43.480 --> 00:07:47.720 whose silver objects include equestrian scenes such as two horsemen 111 00:07:47.879 --> 00:07:52.680 chasing lions, perhaps representing the glorification of royal power. The 112 00:07:53.079 --> 00:07:57.800 let Nitze Treasure nineteen sixty three included twenty two gold 113 00:07:57.839 --> 00:08:01.800 and silver gilt appocades that decorate horse trappings. They were 114 00:08:01.839 --> 00:08:04.519 adorned with scenes that depict the idea of a hero, 115 00:08:05.079 --> 00:08:08.360 shedding light on the mythological beliefs of the ancient Thracians. 116 00:08:09.319 --> 00:08:12.720 A fascinating aspect of the Thracian treasure hoardes is that, 117 00:08:13.040 --> 00:08:16.040 unlike most of the other discoveries found in Bulgaria, they 118 00:08:16.079 --> 00:08:20.560 are not related to one specific archaeological site. Specialists believe 119 00:08:20.639 --> 00:08:23.680 they were deliberately hidden by the Thracians themselves in a 120 00:08:23.759 --> 00:08:29.199 variety of locations far removed from settled site. Experts have 121 00:08:29.240 --> 00:08:31.519 come up with various theories as to why this might be. 122 00:08:32.120 --> 00:08:35.200 Some believe the vessels are ex votos offered by the 123 00:08:35.279 --> 00:08:38.919 Thracians to gods or spirits associated with the earth or 124 00:08:38.960 --> 00:08:42.519 the underworld. There are several examples in antiquity of this 125 00:08:42.720 --> 00:08:47.399 being done after a ritual, perhaps a symposium. Other researchers 126 00:08:47.480 --> 00:08:49.840 suggest the pieces were buried in an attempt to keep 127 00:08:49.879 --> 00:08:53.559 them safe from an unknown threat from local thieves to 128 00:08:53.639 --> 00:08:57.279 outside invaders. There are many examples from other cultures of 129 00:08:57.360 --> 00:09:01.919 bearing valuables to protect them, perhaps the most plausible explanation 130 00:09:02.080 --> 00:09:07.039 given the great worth of the pieces, mysterious makers. Clearly 131 00:09:07.159 --> 00:09:12.960 skillful metallurgists crafted the Thracian treasures, the question remains, who 132 00:09:13.000 --> 00:09:17.200 were they. The iconography of the Thracian treasures closely resembles 133 00:09:17.240 --> 00:09:20.399 that of classical Greek art. It's likely the creators of 134 00:09:20.559 --> 00:09:27.320 these pieces was inspired by Hellenic fireclay methods. Other influences, 135 00:09:27.399 --> 00:09:31.159 for example, Persian, are present in the fine craftsmanship. The 136 00:09:31.240 --> 00:09:34.240 depiction of animals is similar to that of the nomadic 137 00:09:34.360 --> 00:09:37.240 steppe people of the Scythians and a blend of Near 138 00:09:37.279 --> 00:09:41.320 Eastern and Egyptian features similar to those found in Phrygian 139 00:09:41.480 --> 00:09:45.759 art from Western Anatolia is also evident. So did the 140 00:09:45.759 --> 00:09:48.879 Thracians produce them or did someone else. There is evidence 141 00:09:48.919 --> 00:09:52.960 that local metallurgical traditions existed in Thrace from at least 142 00:09:53.000 --> 00:09:55.360 the Copper Age, but the style of that work is 143 00:09:55.399 --> 00:09:58.720 different from that of the treasures. Some experts believe the 144 00:09:58.720 --> 00:10:02.639 treasures must have been imported from Greece, Persia, or elsewhere. 145 00:10:03.159 --> 00:10:06.080 Others argue they were locally produced, but based on foreign 146 00:10:06.120 --> 00:10:10.360 models destined to provide the Thracian kings with prestigious goods 147 00:10:10.360 --> 00:10:13.159 in keeping with the fashion of the time. Whatever the 148 00:10:13.200 --> 00:10:17.200 truth is, the existence of these treasures demonstrates that Thracian 149 00:10:17.240 --> 00:10:21.360 society was far more complex than ancient Greek sources suggest 150 00:10:22.320 --> 00:10:27.519 mingling ancient treasures, the Thracians left behind almost no written texts, 151 00:10:27.600 --> 00:10:30.320 and the inscriptions that have been found are impossible to read, 152 00:10:30.759 --> 00:10:34.039 as the Thracian language has not yet been deciphered. Instead, 153 00:10:34.080 --> 00:10:36.679 the images that decorate their hidden treasures and their grave 154 00:10:36.720 --> 00:10:40.159 goods give the best clues to their culture. These images 155 00:10:40.200 --> 00:10:44.960 indicate that at least from classical times, syncretism was occurring 156 00:10:45.000 --> 00:10:49.759 between Thracian and Hellenistic traditions. For example, the physiognomy of 157 00:10:49.799 --> 00:10:53.440 some Greek gods and heroes, such as Dionysus and Heracles, 158 00:10:53.720 --> 00:10:59.240 is evident in the representations of some Thracian divinities. The Thracians, however, 159 00:10:59.279 --> 00:11:04.639 were not passive recipients of Helenek Helenek culture. They exported 160 00:11:04.639 --> 00:11:08.039 their divinities too, such as Bendis, a goddess of the hunt, 161 00:11:08.320 --> 00:11:11.080 who was worshiped in Attica and assimilated with the Greek 162 00:11:11.120 --> 00:11:16.480 goddess Artemis local spin on Greek traditions. The male social 163 00:11:16.559 --> 00:11:20.320 gatherings known as symposia became popular wherever the Greeks settled. 164 00:11:20.639 --> 00:11:24.600 The Etruscans, Iberians, Romans, and Thracians who came into contact 165 00:11:24.639 --> 00:11:28.679 with Greek colonies tended to adopt the tableware used at symposia, 166 00:11:29.039 --> 00:11:32.200 the large crater from mixing wine with water, the jugs 167 00:11:32.200 --> 00:11:36.120 for serving it, and vessels for drinking it. This tableware, however, 168 00:11:36.240 --> 00:11:39.840 often was adapted to local preferences. The crater, for example, 169 00:11:39.960 --> 00:11:42.559 was used in some cultures as an urn in which 170 00:11:42.639 --> 00:11:46.200 to deposit the ashes of the deceased, something unthinkable for 171 00:11:46.240 --> 00:11:50.519 the Hellenes. Thracian Kingdom. The Thracian tribe settled in a 172 00:11:50.639 --> 00:11:53.200 territory that stretched along the shores of the Black Sea, 173 00:11:53.600 --> 00:11:56.480 the Sea of Marmara, and the Aegean. In the fifth 174 00:11:56.519 --> 00:12:01.039 and fourth centuries BC, the Odrysians establish a vast kingdom 175 00:12:01.080 --> 00:12:04.039 that lasted until the rule of Alexander the Great, while 176 00:12:04.200 --> 00:12:08.679 numerous Greek colonies prospered on the coast. Four ninety BC, 177 00:12:08.879 --> 00:12:12.679 after the Persians withdraw the Odrisian king terries, the first 178 00:12:13.080 --> 00:12:16.480 unites the Thracian tribes living between the Danube River and 179 00:12:16.600 --> 00:12:22.000 the Rhodope Mountains three twenty five to three fifteen BC. Suthis, 180 00:12:22.039 --> 00:12:25.480 the third king of the Odrisians, builds a city called 181 00:12:25.919 --> 00:12:30.080 Southopolis and makes it his capital, the only known Thracian capital. 182 00:12:30.159 --> 00:12:34.039 Its ruins are now beneath a reservoir. Eight forty six. 183 00:12:34.120 --> 00:12:37.799 After the Roman emperor Claudius and his army conquered Thrace 184 00:12:37.919 --> 00:12:42.039 in eighty forty six, the entirety of the Athracian territory 185 00:12:42.320 --> 00:12:48.279 becomes a new Roman province. Next jewel of teenach Tetlan 186 00:12:48.799 --> 00:12:54.320 Templo mayor by Isabel Bueno, rising over the Aztec capital 187 00:12:55.200 --> 00:12:59.919 was once an imposing pyramid dedicated to two gods, Plata 188 00:13:00.320 --> 00:13:04.879 and Zakopochli. Uncovered in nineteen seventy eight, The remains of 189 00:13:04.919 --> 00:13:09.279 Templo Mayor have revealed the shocking rituals used to appease them. 190 00:13:10.279 --> 00:13:14.240 For centuries, archaeologists searched in vain for Templo Mayor, which 191 00:13:14.279 --> 00:13:17.799 they knew existed somewhere beneath modern day Mexico City, once 192 00:13:17.919 --> 00:13:21.799 rising some one hundred sixty feet above the Aztec or Mexica, 193 00:13:21.960 --> 00:13:26.399 as the Aztec referred to themselves, ceremonial center of Tinachtetlan, 194 00:13:26.919 --> 00:13:30.480 the ancient campel of the Aztec Empire. The pyramid served 195 00:13:30.519 --> 00:13:33.240 as the religious focal point and some say the center 196 00:13:33.320 --> 00:13:37.679 of the Aztec universe. But then Hernan Cortes, head of 197 00:13:37.720 --> 00:13:40.519 a joint force of Spanish troops and hundreds of thousands 198 00:13:40.519 --> 00:13:44.039 of indigenous allies, conquered the city in fifteen twenty one, 199 00:13:44.440 --> 00:13:48.919 badly damaging the pyramid. Over time, it gradually disappeared. Maps 200 00:13:48.919 --> 00:13:52.600 and chronicles indicated that Templo Mayor lay beneath Mexico city 201 00:13:52.919 --> 00:13:56.559 Metropolitan Cathedral. Once in a while, when work was carried 202 00:13:56.600 --> 00:13:59.960 out in the city's subsoil, objects related to Templo Mayor 203 00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:03.200 would appear. In seventeen ninety, a large statue of the 204 00:14:03.200 --> 00:14:07.399 goddess Kotli Kue and a twenty four ton monolith called 205 00:14:07.440 --> 00:14:11.600 the Sunstone or Aztec Calendar were found. In nineteen fourteen, 206 00:14:11.639 --> 00:14:16.120 an archaeologists unearthed more remains that he linked to Templo Mayor. 207 00:14:16.720 --> 00:14:19.919 A breakthrough came in nineteen seventy eight when, in the 208 00:14:19.960 --> 00:14:24.679 course of some underground cabling work, electricity company workers made 209 00:14:24.720 --> 00:14:28.279 the chance discovery of an eleven foot wide monolith depicting 210 00:14:28.840 --> 00:14:33.000 Coyote bloch Siqui. In Aztec mythology, she is the goddess 211 00:14:33.039 --> 00:14:37.120 of the Moon and sister of Huitzakopochli, the sun, to 212 00:14:37.159 --> 00:14:42.440 whom the Templo Mayor was dedicated. Shockingly, the goddess was 213 00:14:42.519 --> 00:14:46.919 portrayed as decapitated and dismembered. Archaeologists were riveted by the 214 00:14:46.919 --> 00:14:50.759 fine and wadded to know more. An excavation team, overseen 215 00:14:50.799 --> 00:14:57.039 by archaeologists Eduardo Matos Motezuma, was immediately launched. What emerged 216 00:14:57.080 --> 00:15:01.559 from these diggings was the Templo Mayor, huge temple pyramid 217 00:15:01.840 --> 00:15:04.600 that had served as the sacred center of the Aztec Empire, 218 00:15:04.879 --> 00:15:09.120 writes archaeologist Michael E. Smith in the Aztecs. Over the 219 00:15:09.159 --> 00:15:12.440 past forty five years. The team's painstaking work has brought 220 00:15:12.480 --> 00:15:16.360 to light some of the most breathtaking Aztec artifacts ever found, 221 00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:20.399 and with them came startling insights into major aspects of 222 00:15:20.480 --> 00:15:25.720 Aztec religion, life, and society. The original Templa Mayor was 223 00:15:25.759 --> 00:15:29.480 a simple thatched shrine built during the reign of its 224 00:15:29.559 --> 00:15:34.440 coolto fourteen twenty seven to fourteen forty. Subsequent leaders ordered 225 00:15:34.480 --> 00:15:38.639 its enlargement to commemorate their military victories or sometimes as 226 00:15:38.720 --> 00:15:42.919 the result of flooding or other environmental problems. Excavations have 227 00:15:43.000 --> 00:15:46.360 confirmed at least seven expansions. It may be surprising that 228 00:15:46.399 --> 00:15:49.480 they preferred to enlarge the old temple instead of building 229 00:15:49.480 --> 00:15:51.759 a new one, but there is a reason that has 230 00:15:51.840 --> 00:15:54.559 to do with the special significance of the site itself. 231 00:15:55.120 --> 00:15:59.960 According to myth, the god Huitzelapochili led the Aztec or 232 00:16:00.200 --> 00:16:04.639 Mexico on their march from the mythical homeland of Atslan 233 00:16:04.799 --> 00:16:09.200 to Lake Texcoco. There he showed the priests a small 234 00:16:09.240 --> 00:16:12.519 island where an eagle was perched on a nopal cactus 235 00:16:12.559 --> 00:16:17.720 called Tenochtli in Nahuatl, the language of the Mexico. The 236 00:16:17.840 --> 00:16:19.840 land was little more than a swamp, but these hardy 237 00:16:19.919 --> 00:16:24.799 new inhabitants, almost totally uncultured, yet possessing an indomitable will. 238 00:16:24.879 --> 00:16:30.320 According to renowned scholar Miguel Leon Portilla, founded tinach Lican 239 00:16:30.799 --> 00:16:34.559 and built there the embryo of the Templo Mayor. It 240 00:16:34.600 --> 00:16:37.159 took the labor of thousands of people over many years 241 00:16:37.399 --> 00:16:40.960 to construct this magnificent temple. The workers included not only 242 00:16:41.080 --> 00:16:44.639 the city's inhabitants, but also laborers from other towns that 243 00:16:44.720 --> 00:16:48.039 were dominated by the Aztec. These subjects were forced to 244 00:16:48.080 --> 00:16:50.799 work on government projects as part of their tribute to 245 00:16:50.840 --> 00:16:54.759 the empire. The Aztec also required them to provide building materials. 246 00:16:55.120 --> 00:16:58.519 Refusal to collaborate could trigger a war, with the resulting 247 00:16:58.559 --> 00:17:05.240 taking and sacrificing of Templo Mayor of Tinatchilkan thus became 248 00:17:05.759 --> 00:17:08.839 a demonstration of the power of the Aztec rulers over 249 00:17:08.880 --> 00:17:12.960 the surrounding peoples. No doubt, the site was magnificent. Templo 250 00:17:13.000 --> 00:17:18.160 Mayor hue te Kali in Nahuatl stood in the eastern 251 00:17:18.240 --> 00:17:22.519 part of the ceremonial center of tinach Likan. There were 252 00:17:22.559 --> 00:17:27.519 seventy eight buildings in this area, including temples, priestly residences, altars, 253 00:17:27.559 --> 00:17:32.119 a ballgame court, and sam Panthis racks on which human 254 00:17:32.160 --> 00:17:37.000 skulls were displayed. At its peak, Templo Mayor's final iteration 255 00:17:37.680 --> 00:17:41.279 was a truncated pyramid resting on a four tiered platform. 256 00:17:41.599 --> 00:17:45.640 Twin staircases access to smaller temples atop the pyramid, each 257 00:17:45.720 --> 00:17:51.480 dedicated to the city's main gods, Tlacloch and Huizepoltli. The 258 00:17:51.559 --> 00:17:55.519 Koyakhotskuima monolith was found at the base of the stairs 259 00:17:55.920 --> 00:18:00.759 leading to the latter temple. Templo Mayor was built symbolically 260 00:18:00.799 --> 00:18:06.200 represent Quatapec, the sacred mountain where the sun god Huitzilopochepli 261 00:18:06.519 --> 00:18:09.160 was born. The Aztec considered it to be the center 262 00:18:09.200 --> 00:18:14.079 of the world, from which the four axes that mark 263 00:18:14.119 --> 00:18:17.160 the courses of the universe embarked. The Templo Mayor was 264 00:18:17.200 --> 00:18:20.720 thus the point of intersection through which cosmic energy flowed, 265 00:18:21.119 --> 00:18:24.880 enabling communication between gods and men. The sacred mountain is 266 00:18:25.279 --> 00:18:29.119 as important as the Cross in Christianity, says harbored historian 267 00:18:29.200 --> 00:18:34.359 of religions David Carrasco. Its pyramidal structure represented the three 268 00:18:34.440 --> 00:18:37.839 levels of the Aztec world view. The square platform on 269 00:18:37.880 --> 00:18:40.880 which the temple stood was the horizontal plane, where all 270 00:18:40.960 --> 00:18:45.119 living beings existed, while the pyramid represented the celestial level 271 00:18:45.440 --> 00:18:48.519 and below it was the underworld. Templo Mayora was a 272 00:18:48.519 --> 00:18:52.319 tangible display of life and death, beginning and end. Even 273 00:18:52.359 --> 00:18:56.200 the two temples that crowned it reflected this symbolism. Plalak, 274 00:18:56.599 --> 00:19:01.799 as an aquatic divinity, represented life and substance for agricultural 275 00:19:01.839 --> 00:19:05.839 people such as the Aztec, while Hitzlo Pochali was the 276 00:19:05.839 --> 00:19:09.640 god of war and death, sunset and sunrise. The temple 277 00:19:09.720 --> 00:19:15.640 also commemorated the victory of Huitzlopochli over his innumerable brothers, who, 278 00:19:15.720 --> 00:19:18.880 according to the myth, had conspired against him and paid 279 00:19:18.880 --> 00:19:24.039 for it with their lives. His sister Coatsoiqui, also rebelled, 280 00:19:24.079 --> 00:19:27.759 and whitz Lapochali killed her by throwing her from the 281 00:19:27.759 --> 00:19:32.599 summit of Mount Koatapec. A monolith representing the goddess's death 282 00:19:32.720 --> 00:19:35.039 was placed at the foot of the staircase leading to 283 00:19:35.119 --> 00:19:40.359 Templo Mayor. As the most important temple, Templo Mayor hosted 284 00:19:40.440 --> 00:19:43.799 the main ceremonies of Aztec society, from the coronations of 285 00:19:43.880 --> 00:19:47.799 new monarchs to varied rituals relating to agriculture, reign, and 286 00:19:47.839 --> 00:19:51.480 the proper functioning of the heavenly bodies. The ceremonies were 287 00:19:51.519 --> 00:19:55.039 spread throughout the ritual calendar according to the importance of 288 00:19:55.079 --> 00:19:58.559 the divinity in the Aztec pantheon. Many of the human 289 00:19:58.640 --> 00:20:03.160 sacrifices took place as parts of these monthly celebrations. Smith 290 00:20:03.240 --> 00:20:07.559 writes each year, hundreds or perhaps thousands of victims had 291 00:20:07.599 --> 00:20:10.640 their chests cut open and their still beating hearts ripped 292 00:20:10.640 --> 00:20:14.799 out by knife wielding priests as throngs of spectators looked on. 293 00:20:15.640 --> 00:20:18.519 The most solemn events were reserved for the most important god, 294 00:20:18.799 --> 00:20:22.640 whiz Lapochli. In these days, people were executed on a 295 00:20:22.720 --> 00:20:26.839 stone in front of hit La Postle's temple. Their hearts 296 00:20:26.839 --> 00:20:30.319 were then placed on a beautiful polychrome chap mul, a 297 00:20:30.400 --> 00:20:33.680 reclining figure sculpted in stone in front of the temple 298 00:20:33.839 --> 00:20:38.359 of Tlalac. The Aztec believed human sacrifices were necessary in 299 00:20:38.400 --> 00:20:43.000 their religious rituals to placate the Sun God. Through these sacrifices, 300 00:20:43.039 --> 00:20:46.480 they repeated the deaths of the gods who sacrificed themselves 301 00:20:46.519 --> 00:20:50.039 in the sacred hearth of Teo Ti Hua Khan, so 302 00:20:50.079 --> 00:20:53.000 that men could live, feeding the movement of the sun 303 00:20:53.079 --> 00:20:57.000 with their blood. They believed the sacred deaths ensured the 304 00:20:57.039 --> 00:21:00.839 continuity of life on earth, while reminding those who opposed 305 00:21:00.839 --> 00:21:03.559 the Aztec that they could die and the bloody altar 306 00:21:03.680 --> 00:21:08.119 of the Templo mayor. Most victims were enemy warriors captured 307 00:21:08.119 --> 00:21:13.079 in battle. Smith writes the captor sponsored the sacrivice, thereby 308 00:21:13.279 --> 00:21:17.319 gaining prestige. One of the most eagerly awaited Aztec festivals 309 00:21:17.680 --> 00:21:23.279 was Pantkotsarlitsi, the Raising of Banners, which was celebrated in December, 310 00:21:23.359 --> 00:21:26.519 close to the winter solstice. As dawn broke, a runner 311 00:21:26.599 --> 00:21:30.680 carrying an image of hutz Lapocheli made of baked dough 312 00:21:30.960 --> 00:21:33.519 sprinted down from the top of the temple and ran away, 313 00:21:33.880 --> 00:21:37.039 pursued by the crowd. He first took the god to 314 00:21:37.079 --> 00:21:41.200 the ballgame court, where four victims were sacrificed to him 315 00:21:41.599 --> 00:21:44.440 and he received their hearts as an offering. The runner 316 00:21:44.839 --> 00:21:48.440 then continued the frantic chase through some riverside towns, followed 317 00:21:48.440 --> 00:21:50.920 by the faithful, who struggled to catch up with him. 318 00:21:51.240 --> 00:21:53.160 The reason he ran had to do with the fact 319 00:21:53.559 --> 00:21:57.480 that huitz Lapocheli was never defeated. The entire route was 320 00:21:57.519 --> 00:22:01.720 adorned with large triumphal arches of roses, fron Japani and flags. 321 00:22:02.039 --> 00:22:05.200 At each arch, musicians played drums in cunk shells to 322 00:22:05.240 --> 00:22:08.759 announce the passing of the procession. When the idol returned 323 00:22:08.759 --> 00:22:13.440 to Tinochlik Khan along the Itza Parapa road, all the 324 00:22:13.480 --> 00:22:16.720 temple's dignitaries went out to welcome it with music and dances. 325 00:22:17.160 --> 00:22:20.200 Before going up the temple steps, the image was shown 326 00:22:20.240 --> 00:22:23.039 to those kept next to the skull fence who were 327 00:22:23.079 --> 00:22:25.799 waiting their turn to be sacrificed. At the foot of 328 00:22:25.839 --> 00:22:28.720 the temples steps, the idol's image was placed on a 329 00:22:28.759 --> 00:22:32.160 platform and hoisted reverently to the top with thick ropes. 330 00:22:32.599 --> 00:22:34.880 Four priests held down the feet and hands of those 331 00:22:34.920 --> 00:22:37.720 who were to die, another held their throat, and the 332 00:22:37.799 --> 00:22:41.799 sixth opened their chest and extracted their heart. The priest's 333 00:22:41.799 --> 00:22:44.480 bodies were painted black and their hair was tied, with 334 00:22:44.599 --> 00:22:47.240 leather bands around their heads and little paper rings on 335 00:22:47.279 --> 00:22:50.440 their foreheads. After the ceremony, the image of the god 336 00:22:50.559 --> 00:22:53.400 was blessed and divided among the attendees to be eaten. 337 00:22:54.359 --> 00:22:57.240 Another important dastek festival was the one dedicated to the 338 00:22:57.279 --> 00:23:01.640 goddess Toucci, part of Quat s Licou, Mother of the 339 00:23:01.640 --> 00:23:04.319 Gods and Heart of the Earth, which was celebrated in 340 00:23:04.359 --> 00:23:08.319 the temple of Mayor on September sixteenth. In this ceremony, 341 00:23:08.319 --> 00:23:10.440 a woman of forty to forty five years of age 342 00:23:10.519 --> 00:23:13.359 was offered to the goddess. They first purified her and 343 00:23:13.559 --> 00:23:16.640 washed her and named her after the divinity. Before dawn 344 00:23:16.680 --> 00:23:19.640 on the feast day, the sanctified woman was taken outside 345 00:23:19.680 --> 00:23:23.519 and a man carried her on his back face up 346 00:23:23.799 --> 00:23:26.640 to the top of the temple. There a priest held 347 00:23:26.640 --> 00:23:29.000 her by the hair and slit her throat, bathing the 348 00:23:29.000 --> 00:23:32.079 one who held her in blood. As soon as she 349 00:23:32.160 --> 00:23:34.960 was dead, she was skinned from her thighs to her elbows, 350 00:23:34.960 --> 00:23:37.359 and the skin was used to dress the man who 351 00:23:37.359 --> 00:23:40.720 had carried her up, who again represented the Goddess. He 352 00:23:40.799 --> 00:23:43.319 then watched a performance of a battle between young men 353 00:23:43.400 --> 00:23:47.240 dressed for war, in which many were badly wounded. Once 354 00:23:47.279 --> 00:23:49.640 the combat was over, the sacrifices in hotter of the 355 00:23:49.640 --> 00:23:53.240 Goddess continued. For this purpose, Wooden steps were built at 356 00:23:53.279 --> 00:23:56.440 the top of the temple, which the two priest executioners 357 00:23:56.480 --> 00:23:59.039 climbed up. The man covered with the skin of the 358 00:23:59.039 --> 00:24:02.240 first victim would be forced up, held in case he resisted, 359 00:24:02.240 --> 00:24:05.039 and then pushed down the stairs. His throat was then 360 00:24:05.079 --> 00:24:07.440 slit and his blood was collected in a bowl in 361 00:24:07.480 --> 00:24:10.920 the same way they sacrificed all the victims dedicated to 362 00:24:11.000 --> 00:24:14.599 this goddess. The blood of the sacrificial victims was placed 363 00:24:14.599 --> 00:24:18.400 in a basin, wrapped in multi colored feathers, and set 364 00:24:18.440 --> 00:24:22.599 before the Mother of the gods. On November eighth, fifteen nineteen, 365 00:24:22.640 --> 00:24:26.920 the Spanish conqueror Hernan Cortes and his men set foot 366 00:24:27.000 --> 00:24:31.319 and tinach litiplan for the first time. Astonished by the 367 00:24:31.359 --> 00:24:35.920 city's finally planned grandeur, they spared no praise in describing it, 368 00:24:36.319 --> 00:24:39.000 but it's the imposing Templo Mayor that caught their eye. 369 00:24:39.279 --> 00:24:43.160 Cortes himself noted in his second letter of Relation that 370 00:24:43.279 --> 00:24:45.759 in spite of the large number of number of temples 371 00:24:45.799 --> 00:24:48.519 in the city, there is one, the main one, whose 372 00:24:48.559 --> 00:24:52.480 greatness and features no human tongue can describe. During the 373 00:24:52.519 --> 00:24:57.400 subsequent siege of Tenatlican, Templo Mayora was badly damaged by 374 00:24:57.400 --> 00:25:00.960 the cannon the Spanish used to subdue the se After 375 00:25:01.000 --> 00:25:03.279 the fall of the Aztec capital, the building was not 376 00:25:03.359 --> 00:25:07.200 immediately demolished. Sources confirm it was still standing as late 377 00:25:07.240 --> 00:25:10.240 as fifteen twenty four. With the passage of time, all 378 00:25:10.279 --> 00:25:14.559 traces of the ancient Aztec place of worship disappeared. Workers 379 00:25:14.599 --> 00:25:19.160 of the new Mexico City used materials from pre existing buildings, 380 00:25:19.440 --> 00:25:21.720 so little by little, the stones from temples and other 381 00:25:21.759 --> 00:25:26.440 buildings in the ancient Aztec ceremonial center, including Templo Mayor, 382 00:25:26.519 --> 00:25:29.880 were taken and used to build sixty eight churches within 383 00:25:29.920 --> 00:25:35.440 the former boundaries of Tenochtitlan and talat Loco. They were 384 00:25:35.480 --> 00:25:38.680 also used in the countless houses and structures erected in 385 00:25:38.759 --> 00:25:43.759 the city center. Since nineteen seventy eight, archeological excavations of 386 00:25:43.799 --> 00:25:46.519 the ancient temple have revealed more and more of the 387 00:25:46.519 --> 00:25:50.240 grandeur that was Templo Mayor. They've found palace rooms built 388 00:25:50.279 --> 00:25:53.079 in baths, the House of the Eagles, the meeting place 389 00:25:53.119 --> 00:25:56.799 of the military elite, a school for priests, and sculptures 390 00:25:56.839 --> 00:26:00.319 of snakes and serpents. As excavation work continued, use a 391 00:26:00.319 --> 00:26:04.039 big mystery remains. Historical records state that the remains of 392 00:26:04.079 --> 00:26:07.400 three Aztec kings were cremated and their ashes buried at 393 00:26:07.400 --> 00:26:10.680 the foot of Templo Mayor, and yet no emperor's remains 394 00:26:10.680 --> 00:26:16.400 have been found. Chief archaeologists Leonardo Lopez Luchhan believes their 395 00:26:16.440 --> 00:26:21.480 discoveries will point to Ahwitsotl's burial place. We are persuaded 396 00:26:21.519 --> 00:26:23.759 that sooner or later will find his tomb, he says. 397 00:26:23.960 --> 00:26:27.000 We're digging deeper and deeper. If and when they do 398 00:26:27.039 --> 00:26:29.640 succeed in finding the tomb, it will be the culmination 399 00:26:29.720 --> 00:26:32.079 of decades of work that have shed light on one 400 00:26:32.079 --> 00:26:37.200 of the world's most legendary and misunderstood empires divine offerings. 401 00:26:37.240 --> 00:26:39.839