In The Footsteps Of Alexander The Great DVD ~ Michael Wood  (14)  £14.98

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After previously following the footsteps of Alexander the Great across Asia, in Conquistadors adventurous historian Michael Wood travels to the new world in search of the once-proud cities of the Aztecs and the Incas. The location has changed but the format of this enthralling documentary series remains the same: Wood boldly strikes out across all terrains and in all weathers to retrace the journeys of the men whose greed and lust for conquest changed the course of history. Along the way he provides surviving first-hand narrative accounts from both sides and adds his own vivid on-the-spot commentary. Wood's charming mixture of derring-do and scholarship, combined with his willingness to engage with the local people and ask them to tell their stories too, makes this series as compelling as any of his previous historical explorations. He begins with the first and greatest (or most infamous) of them all: Hernan Cortes. A poor Spanish adventurer with no military training, Cortes somehow led his private army through an alien land and conquered the greatest city of the Aztecs. Wood follows Cortes from the Yucatan peninsular, footslogging over the mountains to Mexico city itself, now unrecognisable as the almost magical lake-bound capital of Montezuma. Lurid tales of blood sacrifice and Spanish plundering abound as Wood goes on to relate the expeditions of Pizzaro against the mighty Incas and the epic journey of Cabeza de Vaca. "We have a disease of the heart that can only be cured by gold," Cortes told the first Aztec ambassador he met. "Do you have more gold?" "Yes we do," was the reply that doomed entire civilisations. "It was the end of sacred time," Wood sums it up, "the beginning of profane time." --Mark Walker

Synopsis
Michael Wood retraces the steps of Spanish adventurers in Peru and Mexico.

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews   12 of 12 people found the following review helpful: Fantastic documentary, 16 April 2001 By  "cgass" - See all my reviews After Alexander the Great, Michael Wood pulls it off once again. Conquistadors is a documentary that will pull you into the world of the 16th century. After 10 minutes you forget that it is a documentary and you start watching it like a movie. This documentary is definitely not boring but as fascinating as you can get. In the end I tuned into the net to follow up the conquistadors such as Cortes, Pizarro or de Vaca. I will definitely read more about it. If you are interested in documentaries and the world of the Spanish conquest of South America, this is the documentary to get. It is worth the money!!!  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   4 of 4 people found the following review helpful: Brilliant, 28 Jan 2003 By  Sally Bolton - See all my reviews This is one of the best documentaries I have seen in years! I love the way Michael Wood not only narrates these stories but actually follows in the footsteps of the conquistadors and thus brings it all to life. Even if you aren't particularly interested in this part of history this series will suck you in, guaranteed! Wonderfully presented by someone who knows his stuff.