Five centuries ago, 500 Spanish adventurers became the first Europeans to invade mainland America, led by the ruthless Hernan Cortés with his young Mayan lover, Malinali. Lust for gold and glory clashed with ancient beliefs and human sacrifice as they confront the most ferocious people of the New World, the Aztecs. In their quest to conquer or die they change the destiny of the Americas.

Thirty years after Columbus discovered America, Spanish soldiers of fortune scoured the new world looking for gold. Francisco Pizarro thought that he had found the ultimate prize. Risking everything, he led his small band of men deep into the heart of South America, to confront one of the greatest civilisations on earth, the Inca. Rumours of a rich empire somewhere in the unexplored heart of South America, convinced Pizarro he was on the road to the mythical city of gold, El Dorado.

Francisco Pizarro’s brutal invasion led to mass rebellion and threatened his dreams of wealth and conquest. But the great Inca Empire was teetering on the brink of ruin. Torn apart by years of civil war, invasion and deadly plagues of European disease. The conquistadors forged alliances with native groups hostile to the Incas and seized enough treasure to make Spain the most powerful nation in Europe. With the young Inca emperor Manco under their control, the conquistadors believed their domination of the vast Inca Empire was complete.