Doctor Whosday: Fixed Points and Macehuitl Fights

It is always a risky thing, creating a story set in a foreign culture. The typical writer for western television grew up in the west, so while foreign cultures like European nations, or the United States, Canada, or the UK if you are not a native, can be difficult, they are at least similar to the writer's experience.

But when a western writer tries to write about a culture that rose up in isolation from the shared Roman Empire history of the West, be it Eastern culture or Hindu culture or African culture, that writer is often having to learn everything from scratch. If the writer does not care enough to do the research, this can lead to glaring stereotypes and errors.

This is doubly true for stories involving Pre-Columbian America, which does not have any shared history with Europe, Africa, or Asia (unless you subscribe to the African Origins theory, but as that is not the current scientific consensus we won't get into that here.)

So when I say that "The Aztecs", the sixth Doctor Who serial, does a magnificent job of realizing pre-Columbian Aztecs, both the good and the bad, and creates one of the most interesting and thoughtful Doctor Who plots yet seen, or indeed seen since, I want my readers to have a sense for just how impressive that is.

This is one of my favorites, and I may gush. You've been warned.

As always, if you want a straightforward synopsis, you can find it over at the TARDIS Wiki.

First, a little street cred from your humble author. I spent a good long while researching the Aztecs for an RPG sourcebook I wrote. I would  not call myself an expert. The Aztec culture is so rich, and so magnificent, that it would take years and years of study and far more fieldwork than I can afford to become such. But I perhaps know more about their culture than the average layman, and I know how to pronounce "Chalchiuhtlicue" and "Mictlantecuhtli".

A picture of the Pyramid of the Sun, shot from the Pyramid
of the Moon. It's Wikipedia's picture, not mine.

I also had the profound privilege of visiting Mexico City as a teenager, seeing the ruins of the Templo Mayor next to the Zocalo, and climbing the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan (which predates the Aztecs, but was considered a holy site by them). This has sparked a love of the Aztecs that has continued to this day.

So I will admit, I sort of fanboy out over this serial. And quite frankly, after Voyager's disastrous use of Chakotay the Magic Indian, having a serial realizing a Native American culture as the badass apex civilization that it was is a breath of fresh air.

Did I say apex civilization? Oh yes, my friends. This was the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan in the 15th century. They had better construction, better city planning, better legal systems, better public works projects, and just about better everything else than any Europeans at that time.

What they didn't have were guns or horses, which would end up destroying them when Cortez came along a century later. They also tended to cow surrounding cities through brutal warfare, which made all those surrounding peoples willing to join Cortez as allies. But this story is not about Cortez, it's about the Aztecs at their height.

And what a story! John Lucarotti, who wrote Marco Polo, wrote this one as well. And at this point I am ready to declare John Lucarotti the greatest Doctor Who writer ever, and be done with it.

Unlike Marco Polo, this is not a traveling adventure (which, seeing as the Aztecs only directly controlled the city of Tenochtitlan, it should not be), and is only four episodes. Otherwise the variety and historical love shown in Marco Polo shines through again here.

This stuff belongs in a museum! It's only moral to
rob indigenous cultures if a museum does it!

The TARDIS lands inside a tomb, which Barbara immediately identifies as Aztec. She is the history teacher, after all, and it turns out Aztecs are her historical specialty. This immediately puts Barbara in the forefront as the resident expert, which is great. Susan notes that all she knows about the Aztecs are the grisly human sacrifices, but Barbara is quick to point out that is only part of the story, that their culture was very advanced, and they created magnificent works of art and marvelous architecture.

This immediately sets up the theme of the serial: Civilization vs. Barbarism. Despite her name, Barbara will champion civilization, insisting that the Aztecs were a magnificent culture, and lamenting that Cortez was unable to see past their acts of human sacrifice. Barbara seems to subscribe to the idea that Cortez only conquered the Aztecs because he thought they were evil, which I think gives him too much credit, but again this story is not about Cortez so I'll let it go.

The party leave the tomb through a heavy swinging door, only to find that it snaps back into place behind them. The tomb is designed against tomb robbers. Those inside can get out, but those outside cannot get back in. Now cut off from the TARDIS, the Doctor and his party have to survive long enough to find a way back into the tomb.

You might be tempted to think they were making fun of
his "savage" appearance. But from what I've read of Aztec
priests, this is significantly less horrific than the fact.

This is complicated by the arrival of Autloc, High Priest of Knowledge, and Tlotoxl, High Priest of Sacrifice. These represent the conflicting sides of the Aztec civilization. Autloc champions learning, is open to new ideas, and seeks to increase his wisdom. Tlotoxl believes in the gods, and above all believes they require blood to keep the universe from falling apart. Both are shocked to find intruders emerging from a sacred tomb, but upon seeing a bracelet that Barbara had taken from within they decide she is the reincarnation of Yetaxa, the priest who was entombed.

The Doctor advises her to play the sparring priests off each other, and keep Susan safe while he and Ian find a way back into the tomb. But Barbara, realizing that this turn of events has given her a chance to save a civilization, says she will not. She intends to rule as Yetaxa, and use her power to convince the Aztecs to give up human sacrifice, so that Cortez will have no reason to destroy their civilization.

Which makes me wonder where the Tlatoani, or Aztec Emperor, is during all of this, but maybe he was one of the weaker ones who gave in to the power of the priests.

Anyway, the Doctor tells her most strenuously that she cannot change history. Later on the show would clarify that this is only for certain points in history, "fixed points in time". However, Barbara ignores his warnings. She feels she has to try.

Stealth was not really an Aztec virtue.

Ian is taken to the warriors hall, where he meets Ixta. I love the detail here. Ixta wears his hair in a topknot, indicating that he has captured many warriors in battle. And he wears the jaguar skins that mark him as one of the Jaguar Warriors. This is never brought up in the actual story, but those little touches just for us Aztec nerds really make the story shine. Ian is put in the garb of an Eagle Warrior (presumably an honorary position due to his serving Yetaxa, since he certainly does not prove himself in battle). Indeed, he is put into the running for captain of the guard. This infuriates Ixta, who was favored for the position. Eventually, one of them will have to defeat the other to prove their worthiness. Ian calmly says he can beat Ixta with his thumb, and demonstrates by paralyzing Ixta at a pressure point.

We learn in later stories that Ian was combat trained with the RAF, which is why he's such a capable fighter. Yet another example of why Ian is awesome.

Meanwhile the Doctor is taken to the Garden of Peace to relax. This is something I love about Aztec culture, and I love that Lucarotti included it here. If you reached a certain age, the Aztecs felt that you had served society well enough, and essentially you were given a retired life of luxury. It was social security in the 15th century. Even some of the laws no longer applied, like the law against public drinking. If you were old enough, you earned the right to be drunk.

You really start to wonder if the Doctor can be called
"heroic", what with him breaking hearts to get information.

The Doctor finds an old widow there, Cameca, whose former lover had been the architect of the tomb. He is impressed by her intelligence, and impresses her with his own. Somewhat flirtatiously, he wins his way into her confidence. She does not know how to enter the tomb, but she can introduce the Doctor to the architect's son.

This is an interesting relationship. The Doctor is openly admiring of Cameca, and quite flirtatious, but save for one rather longing look the serial never bothers to say whether this was all a cunning plan to win her confidence so he can find out how to enter the tomb, or if there was genuine feeling involved.

He later makes cocoa for her, but while the Doctor knows that cocoa was the Aztec currency (as well as a tasty drink), he does not know that offering cocoa doubles as a proposal, and is quite startled when Cameca accepts. Ultimately she realizes he cannot stay, and broken-hearted she lets him go, but not before offering the Doctor her broach as a symbol of her affection. Which leads to the greatest exchange in the episode:

Ian: Where did you get hold of this?
Doctor: My fiance.
Ian: I see... your what?
Doctor: Yes, I made some cocoa and got engaged.

But enough mushy stuff! All sorts of other things are going on!

For one thing, as part of his duties as a warrior Ian has to escort a human sacrifice to the sacrificial altar, and hold him down while Tlotoxl kills him. There has been a long drought, but Autloc has spied rainclouds on the horizon. That means a sacrifice must be made to Tlaloc the Storm God.

Wait a second. They arrive in Mesoamerican city, are
treated as gods, and the idealistic one uses her position
to demand no more sacrifices... Road to El Dorado totally
ripped off Doctor Who!

Barbara is horrified, and convinces the open-minded Autloc that the storm is already coming, and that it will rain regardless of the sacrifice. She intends to stop the sacrifice and prove to all the Aztecs that sacrifice is not needed.

She stops the sacrifice by her sacred command, only to discover that the victim is angry at her for depriving him of the honor. See, in Aztec culture there were only two ways to go to the best afterlife: To die in battle (or childbirth, which was considered the same thing), or to die as a sacrifice. While there were certainly sacrifices that did not want to be killed, there are historical records of those who went willingly to the altar for a chance at paradise.

Tlotoxl tells the sacrifice that if he wants to die he should, and the sacrifice throws himself off the temple. As he dies, it begins to rain, and Tlotoxl declares that his blood has appeased the gods.

Barbara is furious that her plan has failed, but more dangerously, her stunt has convinced Tlotoxl that she is not truly the reincarnation of Yetaxa. Such is his faith that anyone who speaks against it must be a fraud. He dedicates himself to exposing her.

And that's just the first episode.

If this were just a slow-paced show packed with knowledge about the Aztecs I would still enjoy it, but not nearly as much. But in addition to the well-researched setting, the story keeps moving.

The Doctor points out that because of Barbara's attempts to interfere, things are now worse. Susan spoke out against sacrifice with Barbara, and unlike Barbara she is not considered a goddess. Barbara manages to ensure she will not be harmed, but she is taken away to "seminary" (most likely one of the schools for the elite and priesthood, rather than the public schools... yes, the Aztecs had free public schools). There she will learn proper Aztec behavior.

Meanwhile Tlotoxl is convinced Barbara is not truly divine, and demands she be tested. She will be questioned, both by the sympathetic Autloc, and the devious Tlotoxl.

He'll kneel down to pray at your altar.

Tlotoxl is not content to merely question, however. He goes to the Perfect Sacrifice.

Okay, I love that the Perfect Sacrifice is in here. Here's the deal from history. The Aztecs would prepare one person to be the perfect sacrifice to their chief god (and Sun god), Huitzilopochtli. He was treated like a king, and nothing he desired was witheld from him. Then, after his time was up, they would sacrifice him to be their perfect messenger to the gods. A really cushy gig, if you don't mind getting your heart cut out by an obsidian knife at the end.

Anyway, Tlotoxl manages to get the Perfect Sacrifice to do two things. The first is demand that Ian and Ixta's combat to prove who is the better commander take place at a particular time. The second is to demand that Susan marry him.

Susan has been learning a lot in seminary, including the code of a good wife (which is... painful to hear to modern ears, but was not unusual for the 15th century), but she has balked at the idea that her marriage will be arranged, having more modern ideas about marrying whomever she chooses. When the Perfect Sacrifice demands her hand, she refuses, a violation of Aztec law.

Since the Aztecs are a very legal-minded people (even having lawyers, public advocates, and a complex legal system, though none of that is mentioned in the serial), there is little Barbara can do to save her. She will be publicly beaten, just before the Perfect Sacrifice is offered up, on the day of a solar eclipse.

He's not quite this bad, but he does seem remarkably
sanguine, even gleeful about the idea of helping Ixta
cheat with poison.

Meanwhile the Doctor meets with the architect's son, only for the audience to realize it is Ixta. Knowing nothing about Ian's upcoming fight, the Doctor falls for Ixta's trap. Ixta says he would gladly give the Doctor the plans to the tomb, but he has a fight tonight that he fears losing. The Doctor leaps to his aid, preparing a sleeping poison for him to prick his opponent with.

Barbara is unable to stop the fight, but she make Autloc promise that it will not be lethal. Despite Autloc's promises, however, when Ixta's treachery causes Ian to succumb to the poison, Tlotoxl urges Ixta to kill him. At that point Barbara stops them, which only increases Tlotoxl's belief that she is a fraud. She manages to win Autloc to her side, however, by offering a vision of doom, claiming the practice of human sacrifice will lead to the Aztec's destruction.

Although Ixta's plans were just part of his ruse, the Doctor and Ian are able to find the tunnel into the tomb. Autloc, his faith in his gods shaken, decides to leave the city and go into the wilderness, but not before using his wealth to ensure that Susan escapes her captors. While the Doctor uses a pulley he invented to raise the door to the tomb, Ian and Ixta fight to the death, Ixta's death. They escape just as Tlotoxl murders the Perfect Sacrifice on the altar stone.

This show is magnificent. Oh, they got some things wrong, but even when they got it wrong you could tell Lucarotti was trying. This was not a show gawking at the exotic savages. It is a show about all of us, about the war between civilization and barbarity that is in every society, and in every person. We all have an Autloc and a Tlotoxl inside of us, and we all know people who are like Autloc, and others who are like Tlotoxl.

This is the look of someone who realizes his culture was
written better in 1964 than it was in the late 90s.

The attention to detail, down to period costumes, is a breath of fresh air considering how Native Americans were normally portrayed in the 60s. Yes, these were British Actors in "Indian Face", but in the UK in 1964 I think that's all they had to work with. No one speaks in a stilted way, no one seems savage. No one is exaggerated to seem primitive, or like "The Other". They simply present the culture for what it was, both the good and the bad.

Even Tlotoxl, the villain of the story, is a fully realized character. He is not evil to be evil. He simply believes what his faith tells him is true. And to be fair, he is right about Barbara, she is a fraud. Ixta is justified in his hatred of Ian, because he worked hard to get his position and has no intention of losing it to a newcomer who did not even fight his way up the ranks. Even the Perfect Sacrifice, while ultimately selfish and almost petty in that selfishness, has earned his selfish living by offering up his very life to the gods. These are complex, well-motivated villains, who are part of a complex, well-realized society.

Yes, Lucarotti got some things wrong. A few things even I noticed (like the lack of a Tlatoani and the somewhat vague way Aztec religion was presented), and I'm sure a true expert would notice even more. But he clearly tried so hard to get the details right, that the minor failures just slip past, barely noticed and quickly forgiven.

A century after this story is set, an Autloc named Galileo
would be suppressed by the Tlotoxls who feared his
discoveries. Today, the Autlocs who warn of climate
change and seek social reform are opposed by the
Tlotoxls of our society. The Aztecs still has much to teach.

In the end, the show has a bleak outlook, not just on the Aztecs, but on ourselves. Barbara believes that, deep down, most people are like Autloc, willing to be better than themselves. But the Doctor insists that most people are like Tlotoxl, not innovators, but trapped in the rut of their traditions, both good and bad. In the end the Doctor is proven right. Autloc leaves society because of the new knowledge he has gained, and Tlotoxl is triumphant.

But still, the Doctor offers Barbara a glimmer of hope. Perhaps she did not save the Aztec civilization, but she saved Autloc. Autloc now understands things more than he ever did before. In the wilderness, he might find peace and true enlightenment.

And that is the message. The grand strokes of history might be too powerful and too irresistible to change, but even if we cannot save nations, we can save people. We can improve the lot of individuals, no matter who we are, and no matter how much power we have.

And in the end, maybe that is all that is needed to resist the Tlotoxls of our age. Maybe all we need is to encourage the Autlocs to be the better people that they truly are.

Ian and Ixta in an epic Macehuitl fight.