The US FBI recently returned a 500-year-old stolen document to Mexico. The manuscript was penned by Hernán Cortés, a man who helped pave the way for Spanish colonisation of the Americas and bring about the end of the Aztec Empire. The Aztec empire lasted until the 16th century in what is now Mexico with Spain’s conquest leading to its collapse in 1521. The civilisation has often been linked to the practice of human sacrifice. Scholars have traditionally relied on European sources to document their history, but how did the Aztecs see their history from their own perspective? The book “Fifth Sun: A New History of the Aztecs” uses indigenous sources to tell their story. Joseph Keen has been speaking to the book’s author, Professor Camilla Townsend who is Board of Governors Distinguished Professor of History at Rutgers University.

Camilla's book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fifth-Sun-New-History-Aztecs/dp/0190673060

Also available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxbwyoY2G04