Classic Doctor Who Season 1 Episode 27 The Aztecs: The Temple of Evil

The Aztecs: The Temple of Evil is the twenty-seventh episode in the first season of the classic Doctor Who series. In this episode, the TARDIS lands in the midst of Aztec civilization, and the Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Susan are mistaken for gods by the locals. They are taken to the temple of Yetaxa, where they meet the High Priest of Sacrifice, Tlotoxl, who tries to make the Doctor a human sacrifice.

Barbara, who has always been fascinated by the Aztecs, is thrilled to be experiencing their culture first-hand and decides to use her knowledge of history to try to change things for the better. She becomes entangled in the politics of the Aztecs, gaining the support of one of the local leaders, Autloc, while trying to oppose the rituals of sacrifice. Ian, meanwhile, masquerades as an Aztec warrior and competes in a tournament to prove himself as a warrior.

The Doctor, realizing the danger they're in, tries to find a way to escape and attempts to repair the TARDIS. He enlists the help of a young Aztec girl named Cameca, who takes a liking to him and reveals a secret passage under the temple that could lead to the TARDIS.

As the Doctor tries to repair the TARDIS, Barbara becomes more deeply involved in the politics of the Aztecs. She initially tries to convince Autloc to convince the High Priest that sacrifices are wrong. However, when she realizes that Autloc's power is limited, she decides to take matters into her own hands and impersonates the goddess Yetaxa, hoping to convince the people to abandon the practice of human sacrifice.

As Barbara becomes more and more involved in Aztec politics, she finds herself at odds with Tlotoxl, who sees her as a threat to his power. He tries to set her up and reveal her true identity, but Barbara manages to outsmart him and gain the support of the people. However, all her efforts to convince the people to stop sacrificing humans seem to be in vain when she realizes that even if she does succeed, history cannot be changed, and the brutality of the Aztecs will continue.

In the end, the Doctor and his companions manage to escape the temple through the secret passage. However, Barbara is left heartbroken, realizing that her attempts to change history were ultimately futile. The Aztecs: The Temple of Evil is a tense and thrilling episode, full of political intrigue and moral dilemmas. It's one of the standout episodes of the first season of Doctor Who and a classic example of the show's original blend of sci-fi, history, and adventure.