 Right around 500 years ago the Spanish conquistadors looted the Americas for all the gold they could possibly pile onto their ships for the voyage back to Europe. This highly damaging practice exasperated the history of the region. The Spanish burned historical archives, ancient texts, they brought disease and when they finally left the civilizations of these parts were forced to the very brink of extinction. The Aztec Empire flourished between 1345 and 1521 and dominated ancient Mesoamerica. This young nation was highly successful in spreading its reach and gaining fabulous wealth, but then, all too quickly came the strange visitors from another world came to take away their possessions. In 1981 the discovery was made in Mexico of a gold bar weighing almost two kilograms by construction workers excavating a public park and for almost 40 years the discovery of this gold bar was a major mystery until now. Mexico's Institute of Anthropology and History has confirmed that a specialized x-ray technique has revealed that the gold was lost during a Spanish retreat which is known as the Sad Night. The golden hue sunk 500 years ago in the channels of Mexico Tenochtitlan which thanks to recent scientific analysis it is possible to affirm that it does correspond to the flight off the island undertaken by Hernán Cortes and his host on June 30th 1520. The location of the find in 1981 does affirm that this is corresponding to the route of the famous escape and the characteristics of the metal bar which coincide quite accurately with those referred to in historical sources and it was considered necessary to make these new studies with cutting-edge technology to authenticate this artifact. To the Aztec, 1519 was a year that began with their empire as the uncontested power in the region. Its capital city Tenochtitlan ruled 400 to 500 small states with a total population of 5 to 6 million. The fortunes of the kingdom however were doomed to a swift and spectacular decline once Cortes and his men disembarked on the Mexican coast. When the Spanish arrived in 1519 they soon outstayed their welcome and the Aztecs did not want them as guests. In 1520 Hernán Cortes launched an expedition without official approval from the Spanish Empire. This forced the hand of the Spanish governor in Cuba who sent soldiers to arrest Cortes who had his men kill the arresting soldiers. Cortes then ordered the killing of Aztec decision makers including priests and this caused a revolt by the Aztecs which forced the illegal Spanish expedition into a full retreat and this is when they lost this gold bar along the retreat route and it does fit in very accurately with all the historical documentation on the matter. The gold accurately matches other Aztec bars of this period and a statement released by the Institute of Anthropology and history says that the bar is a key piece in the puzzle of this historical event. One of the researchers recall that in a press conference held at the once official residence of Los Pinos the president described the discovery as reflection in what all Mexicans have to see. Beyond the flowery speeches the director of the PTM emphasizes that this ingot is a key piece in the puzzle of that historical event because it coincides with the description made of the golden used that were obtained of the founding of the treasure of the ancestors. In any case the golden U is exhibited today at the National Museum of Anthropology as a dramatic material witness of the Spanish conquest and unique archaeological testimony of the so-called sad knight. Of course the Spanish had guns to overthrow their enemy but it turned out the germs were the decisive venom in the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. The Spanish were outnumbered and overwhelmed but time would prove vital as disease spread throughout the Aztec world brought about by the simple presence of the Spanish. A smallpox epidemic prevented the Aztec forces from finishing off Cortez's defeated and demoralized army. The outbreak weakened the Aztec while giving Cortez time to regroup. Spain would win the battle. Deployment of cavalry against the elite Aztec Jaguar and the Eagle warriors carried the day for the Europeans and their allies. Our only security apart from God Cortez wrote is our horses. Victory allowed the Spaniards to rejoin with their allies and launch the recapture of Tenochtitlan. Waves of attacks were launched on settlements near the Aztec capital. Any resistance was brutally crushed. Many indigenous enemies were captured as slaves and some were even branded following their capture. The sacking also allowed the Spaniards to build up their large personal retinues, taking captives to use as servants and slaves and kidnapping others for exchanges and ransoms. Growing in number to roughly 3,000 people, this group of captives vastly outnumbered the fighting Spaniards. And this gold bar is part of that story but what do you guys think about this? Comments below and as always thank you for watching.