I find the first season of Doctor Who to be remarkably consistent. Everything so far has been consistently good. The Aztecs however, is the first Doctor Who story which I consider to be great.

The story revolves around Barbara being mistaken as the reincarnated God Yetaxa, and her efforts to try to alter history. This sets her up in conflict with the Doctor, as Barbara wants to stop the Aztec's more barbaric practices, namely human sacrifice. The Doctor however knows that it is dangerous to try and rewrite history ("you can't rewrite history! Not one line!"). This the main thematic conflict, but the main narrative conflict comes in the form of Tlotoxl, the high priest of Sacrifice, who doubts Barbara's divinity and schemes against our heroes.

Tlotoxl is a tremendous antagonist, his devious scheming is utterly compelling and he is deliciously performed by actor John Ringham. He makes an intelligent and formidable foe, who arguably wins in the end. Barbara fails to change the Aztec's culture and the TARDIS team leave with Tlotoxl still with great power, arguably more than at the start. His opposite in this story is Autloc, the high priest of knowledge. Autloc is a more forward thinking compassionate man, and Barbara's only real ally in her quest to stop the sacrifices. At the end Barbara is dejected that she was unable to change history, but the Doctor reassures her that her efforts were not entirely in vain, as although she couldn't save a culture, she changed Autloc's life and made him a better man.

Barbara is my favourite member of the original TARDIS team, so it's great to see her at the forefront of this story. Barbara having to navigate a culture that she isn't native to, as well as all of Tlotoxl's nefarious machinations are a joy to behold. Plus she looks awesome in her head dress and robes. This is also probably Jacqueline Hill's best work on the show, showing the intelligence and compassion that are arguably Barbara's defining traits.

But this story isn't all about Barbara. Ian and The Doctor also get some compelling stories and memorable moments. Ian gets to be in full on action hero mode for a lot of this story. His climactic fight with Ixta the Aztec warrior is one of the more thrilling action scenes in this era of the show.

The Doctor's subplot where he accidentally gets engaged to an Aztec woman is great fun. The engagement itself, as well as the subsequent scene where he lets this slip to Ian are both genuinely funny. But this subplot is not just played for laughs. The relationship between the Doctor and his fiance Cameca is actually kinda sweet. She becomes an ally to the team, helping them to escape in the end, even though she knows it'll end her engagement. Her saying goodbye to the Doctor is lovely and we get to see a much softer side to the Doctor here. He genuinely regards Cameca with warmth and affection.

Add to this some really good production value, with great sets and costumes all the way through. Yes there are some clearly fake backgrounds on display, but they do their job of providing an excellent sense of scale, making the setting feel much bigger than other stories from the era.

All in all a great looking story with compelling plots based on excellent character work. One of the best stories in all of the First Doctors era.