Ancient Aliens: Aztec Origins Revealed

NARRATOR: Mexico City. Beneath the current capital of Mexico lie the ruins of the

ancient

Aztec metropolis known as Tenochtitlán. The Aztecs dominated much of central Mexico between the 14th and 16th centuries AD. C., and Tenochtitlán is considered to be its first official settlement: an incredibly sophisticated city featuring a grid system of canals and causeways. But according to their historical texts, the Aztec civilization did not originate here. EDWIN BARNHART: The Aztecs say they started from this place in the north called Chicomoztoc. It was a cave, and within that cave there were seven different caverns. And it was said that there were seven different tribes.

And the Aztecs say they were part of the seven tribes that emerged from the seven chambers of Chicomoztoc. NARRATOR: While Chicomoztoc was once thought to be a mythological site, some scholars believe that archaeological evidence suggests that it actually existed and is located on the site of the

ancient

pyramid complex known today as Teotihuacán. EDWIN BARNHART: The place of the seven caves... we think it may have actually been located archaeologically within sight of the main temple of Teotihuacán, called the Pyramid of the Sun, which is located just north of the Valley of Mexico. Below there is actually a cave with seven different points that it extends to, and that's where the Aztecs said their original ancestors came from.

NARRATOR: In the 16th century, Spanish chronicler Gerónimo de Mendieta recorded the legends of the local native population. According to his stories, the Aztecs believed that they were created by a group of gods stranded within these seven caves. JONATHAN YOUNG: Mendieta wrote a story of the Aztec legend. In this report, he describes a giant flint knife landing in the ground. And the earth shook and shook when this huge flint knife landed. Then, about 1,600 gods came out of this thing. And they are responsible for the launch of the Aztec civilization. EDWIN BARNHART: The Aztecs talk about the many gods who descended to earth and created humans.

They create them from bones, ashes and their own blood. And they make them partly in their image, but specifically so that they honor and serve them. GIORGIO A. TSOUKALOS: Suddenly, there's a description of a giant flint knife that came down from the sky and someone emerged from it. One may wonder whether or not our ancestors witnessed the landing of some type of ship. If so, then Aztec history suggests that at some point in our history,

aliens

created humanity. And something very strange was happening in Teotihuacán. NARRATOR: Located just 30 miles northeast of Mexico City, the Teotihuacán complex spans nearly eight square miles and dates back to the 1st century AD.

It is the oldest and most sophisticated city in Mesoamerica, an area that extends from northern Mexico to Central America. . The civilization predated that of the Mayans by at least 100 years. At its peak, it was said to have supported nearly 100,000 residents. It was also the largest city in the entire Western Hemisphere before the 15th century and served as the region's main commercial and religious center. EDWIN BARNHART: The importance of Teotihuacán cannot be underestimated. It is the Rome of Mesoamerica. The things that Teotihuacán did set the tone for all other city-states that followed. NARRATOR: The central features of the complex are two great pyramids, known as the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon, as well as a temple dedicated to Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent.

These structures are located next to a road known as the Avenue of the Dead. More than 200 smaller buildings, platforms and pyramids are located adjacent to the avenue, and there are thousands of homes on the outskirts of the complex. But as incredible as Teotihuacán is, no one knows exactly who built this metropolis or what happened to its occupants. EDWIN BARNHART: Teotihuacán, despite its size, has no hieroglyphics of any kind. There are other cultures in Mesoamerica that used writing systems. There is nothing like it in Teotihuacán. So we don't really have a clear history of what happened at Teotihuacán, and we can't really find evidence of its rulers. --to develop a complete, huge, complex citadel-- WILL HART: We have such a sophisticated site that embodies principles of engineering, craftsmanship and art.

Where it originated? Where are the smaller versions of this? Well, we didn't find any. So we don't have a progression, an evolution that shows where this came from. So we have to ask ourselves where did it come from? DAVID WILCOCK: We've been conditioned to look at these amazing works of stone architecture and think, oh, primitive people did that, and they used primitive methods and technology. But we have to rethink fundamental assumptions and come to an ever-increasing level of understanding that the technology needed to build these artifacts is, in fact, greater than anything they possessed.