The TARDIS arrives inside an Aztec temple at the beginning of The Temple of Evil, with Barbara showing off her knowledge of Aztec culture and history. When Barbara exits the temple by accident using a trick panel, and due to a bracelet she picked up, is mistaken for the returned spirit of Yetaxa, with the others being her 'servants'. Due to the way the trick panel was constructed, they cannot return to the TARDIS easily. Barry Newberry has designed beautiful sets for The Aztecs, echoing the architectural brilliance of the Aztec people that can be seen in ruins that survive today.

Tlotoxl, the High Priest of Sacrifice is obviously suspicious of Barbara's divinity, and breaks up the TARDIS crew, taking Ian to meet the warrior Ixta; eventually he and Ixta will fight for the leadership of the Aztec warriors. The Doctor, meanwhile is led by the High Priest of Knowledge Autloc to the Garden of Peace to meet the some of the aged Aztecs; with the Doctor taking a shine to Cameca, and uses her to try and gain information on the design of the temple, in order find a way back in.

At Barbara's presentation to the people, a sacrifice is to made in order to appease the Gods and cause it to rain, and Barbara is determined to stop this and create a gentler Aztec race, leading to that great line from the Doctor: "You can't rewrite history, not one line.". At the ceremony, Barbara is presented to the people as Yetaxa, and Barbara orders that the scarifice not be made, so the victim jumps to his death; following which it begins to rain... The incidental music of Richard Rodney Bennett suits the story well, and is used effectively throughout all episodes.

The Warriors of Death opens with Tlotoxl vowing to destroy Barbara, as the Doctor bawls out Barbara for attempted interference in Aztec culture, and in order to keep them all safe, the Doctor tells Barbara to keep Autloc on her side. Tlotoxl tests Barbara's knowledge of Aztec culture in a scene of verbal sparring that is well played by both actors, before playing his trump card; Ian is to fight Ixta to the death for the leadership of the Aztec warriors.

At the barracks Ian defeats Ixta using his knowledge of pressure points, and Tlotoxl berates Ixta for his loss, goading him into becoming his ally. At the Garden of Peace Cameca arranges a meeting between the Doctor and the son of the architect of the temple. Tlotoxl continues his fight against Barbara, cutting her off from the others before Autloc can test her and prove or disprove her divinity. It turns out that Ixta is the son of the architect, a fact the Doctor does not know yet. Susan is being instructed how to be a good Aztec woman, with Susan disagreeing with arranged marraige. These scenes show how well the TARDIS crew are adapting to Aztec life, with the Doctor and Ian adapting well into their new roles, Barbara having a tought time due to Tlotoxl, and Susan refusing to accept certain aspects of Aztec culture.

Ixta and the Doctor meet, with the Doctor gaining the plans to the temple in exchange for some help in assisting Ixta in his fight against Ian. Barbara informs Autloc of the future of the Aztecs, horrifying him. The Doctor gives Ixta a plant to poison his opponant with a debilitating drug, and discovers from Barbara that Ixta's opponant is Ian, before being arrested by Tlotoxl for transgressing the law. The fight takes place between Ian and Ixta, with the Doctor's arrival giving Ixta the opportunity to use the plant. Ian weakens, and Tlotoxl urges a fight to the death... John Ringham is excellent as the vengeful Tlotoxl, contrasting well with Keith Pyrott's gentle Autloc. The fight scenes are well choreographed and directed, showing the energy and skills of the actors involved.

Barbara saves Ian from death by threatening to kill Tlotoxl, and gains some concessions for herself and the others in exchange for Tlotoxl's life. Barbara at this stage continues to meet Tlotoxl's challenges. Autloc warns Barbara Tlotoxl will be out for revenge, promising to serve her so long as she proves not to be false. Tlotoxl learns that the Doctor wants the plans to the temple, and tries to find out the reason, but the Doctor meets this by promising that the truth will be revealed if the temple is opened. Ixta helps Ian recover from the drug, promising that they are friends until their next contest; and then reveals to Tlotoxl that no plans exist of the temple - it was all a trick. This shows Ixta to be a rather cunning person, and someone not to be crossed.

Tlotoxl plans to test Barbara with poison at their next meeting, but will not inform Autloc of this scheme. At the Garden of Peace, the Doctor has discovered a stone bearing Yetaxa's symbol, but Cameca has love on her mind, with the Doctor preparing a drink of cocoa ignorant that in this context it means a marraige proposal. Cameca is obviously quite taken with the Doctor, and the Doctor does appear to be very fond of her. Ian informs Barbara of Tlotoxl's scheme, just before Tlotoxl arrives with the poisoned drink; a scheme which Barbara ruins, but in a moment of anger tells Tlotoxl that she is not Yetaxa. Both the Doctor and Barbara get themselves into trouble here: the Doctor with love, and Barbara reveals the truth to Tlotoxl in a suitably dramatic scene.

Tlotoxl comes up with a new scheme to defeat Barbara, by attacking her servants. Susan is to become The Bride of Sacrifice of the episode's title; she is to marry the Perfect Victim, which she refuses, playing into Tlotoxl's hands. Susan is to be punished for her transgression of Aztec law, with Barbara discovering this after Tlotoxl tricks her into agreeing to the punishment being carried out. The Doctor helps Ian break into the tomb, via a tunnel behind Yetaxa's stone, but Ixta closes the entry; the tunnel is part of a system used to water the gardens, and must be replaced to preven the gardens from being flooded. In the tunnel, rising water starts to worry Ian...

As the day prior to The Day of Darkness dawns, Ian manages to escape from the water, while the Doctor begs in vain for Ixta's assistance. Ian finds himself inside Yetaxa's tomb and exits, after ensuring the hidden entrance can be opened from the exterior; surprising Barbara and the Doctor. Susan is brought to the barracks to be guarded over by Ixta, who gloats about Ian's apparent death, until Ian knocks him out; but their attempt to get back into the temple fails. Tlotoxl sends Ixta to knock out Autloc using Ian's club, framing him for the attack, and Ian and Susan get caught before they can attempt to get into the temple through the secret passage. At last Tlotoxl may be triumphant over Barbara.

Tlotoxl plans to make Barbara disappear, sealing her in a room. In the Garden of Peace, the Doctor and Cameca discuss the situation, while the Doctor carves a wheel out of wood. Barbara and Autloc come to an understanding - he might be able to save Susan, and he meets with Cameca to provide her with the means to buy Susan's release, before setting off to the wilderness to worship the Gods on his own.

Tlotoxl plans the ceremony, gloating over Autloc's decision to leave; as Cameca secures Susan's release, with a bit of help from Ian, who gets an idea for his own release. Tlotoxl installs his assistant Tonila as the new High Priest of Knowledge, as the Doctor makes a hard decision in refusing Cameca's request to travel with him. Ian has disguised himself as one of the warriors, saving Barbara from Tlotoxl's attack. Ian and Ixta fight one last time, in a superbly directed and choreographed scene that at one point reveals by accident the edge of the set, before Ian throws Ixta to his death. The TARDIS crew escape into the temple as the eclipse takes place and Tlotoxl sacrifices the Perfect Victim to the Gods. Barbara is disappointed that she couldn't alter the past, but the Doctor comforts her by pointing out that she helped Autloc. The Doctor keeps the broach Cameca gave him as a keepsake, as a new mystery appears - the TARDIS has landed, but the controls indicate that the TARDIS is still moving...

The Aztecs is one of the best, if not the best of the historical stories. The script is engaging, and provides a lot of interesting details on the Aztecs that will inspire viewers to research further details about Aztec culture (and discover the liberties and inaccuracies in the script!), with the set and constume designs showing that care and attention has been paid to research by their respective designers. The acting from the guest cast is excellent, with John Ringham excellent as the villainous Tlotoxl, without overplaying the role. The regular cast get a lot of excellent material to work with, but it's Jaqueline Hill and William Hartnell who have the lion's share; as Barbara fights and fails to save a culture she admires from its tragic conclusion; and the Doctor tries to stop her, forming a close attachment with an Aztec woman along the way. An outstanding story, and true classic of the Hartnell era.

9.4/10

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