This is the story of two men whose meeting was to change history forever. Author DBC Pierre travels through Mexico on a personal odyssey to recount the fate of the Aztec civilization. In 1519, a young Spaniard called Cortes arrived in Mexico to seek fame and gold. His forces soon clashed with the mighty Moctezuma, leader of the Aztecs. As DBC discovers, this battle would have global consequences.

Cortes's Spanish forces reached the capital of the Aztec empire, determined to defeat their leader Moctezuma in their quest for gold. Author DBC Pierre travels through Mexico to tell the story of the Aztec defeat and the loss of a civilization in his own idiosyncratic, tequila-chugging way. Though Moctezuma was defeated, as DBC states, the blood of Mexico is still pumped by an Aztec heart.