Temples of the Aztec
Temples of the Aztec is an Age of Empires III scenario in Act I: Blood (scenario 5), set in 1566. The player commands Knights of St. John.
Scenario setting & objectives
The required goals are Build a Trading Post at the Aztec village; Build a Town Center; At least one Aztec Temple must remain standing; Find and Destroy the Spanish Town Center. Optional goals include Save more than one Temple; Rescue more Aztec prisoners.
Mission approach
Complete required construction early enough to establish the base or route, then defend the workers and new position. Scout the target and its approach, then preserve enough of the starting army to finish the required assault. Scout the route before moving the hero or starting force, and avoid splitting units the mission needs together. Track the explicit survival or deadline condition throughout the mission; optional fighting can wait if it risks that requirement. Take optional objectives when they add useful allies, routes, resources or reinforcements without putting the primary goal at risk.
Protect the temples while establishing a base
Temples of the Aztec is scenario five of Act I: Blood, set in 1566 with the Knights of St. John. The mission has several simultaneous primary conditions: establish a Trading Post at the Aztec village, build a Town Center, keep at least one Aztec Temple standing and destroy the Spanish Town Center. This means the player must expand while defending a structure that cannot be replaced if all temples are lost. Secure the village route and protect the builders as they establish the Trading Post, then place the Town Center where the force can defend it. Do not commit every starting unit to an early assault on Spain; leave a reserve near the temple area and watch for attacks on the protected objective. The Spanish Town Center is the final military target, but destroying it too early is not enough if the construction objectives remain incomplete. Optional goals ask the player to save more than one Temple and rescue Aztec prisoners. Those improve the outcome but are secondary to retaining at least one temple.
Manage construction, defense and the assault
The mission’s objectives reward sequencing. First scout the path to the Aztec village and identify where workers can build without immediate harassment. Establish the Trading Post and Town Center, but keep units available to defend the temples while construction proceeds. If the Spanish attack the protected area, stop expanding temporarily and preserve at least one Temple; the objective permits losses, but losing every temple ends the required condition. Once the base and route are stable, build a force that can approach the Spanish Town Center with siege support. Keep the army together and clear defenders that threaten the siege rather than following every enemy retreat. Rescue prisoners and save additional temples when a detachment can complete those optional goals without weakening the main assault. The Knights of St. John roster and mission resources are scenario-specific; do not apply ordinary European build timing blindly. This mission follows earlier Act I events and is linked to other scenario pages, but its own central challenge is balancing construction with protection. Track the temple count throughout the battle and keep a mobile reserve near the objective while the main force advances.
Keep a reserve near the surviving temple
At least one Aztec Temple must remain standing throughout the mission. Track the temple sites and avoid using the protected area as a staging ground if enemy attacks can reach it. Save more than one Temple for the optional goal only when the defense is stable; the required condition permits fewer than all temples to survive. Rescue prisoners when a safe route opens, but leave enough troops to protect the builders and Town Center. The Spanish Town Center assault can wait until the Trading Post and base are secure. When preparing that push, take the route with enough space for siege and reinforcements to follow. If the temple area is threatened while the army advances, return a mobile detachment rather than abandoning the primary condition. This balance between expansion and preservation is the mission’s central constraint.
Check every condition before ending the battle
Before attacking the Spanish Town Center, verify that the Trading Post and player Town Center are complete and at least one Aztec Temple remains. After the assault, confirm the objective panel registers the destruction. Optional prisoner rescues and extra temples can be completed before the final push if the base is stable, but cannot replace any required condition.
Review the objective panel at each phase
The Trading Post and Town Center are required construction objectives, and one Temple must survive. The Spanish Town Center must also be destroyed. Keep these four conditions in view while deciding whether to attempt prisoner rescue or protect additional temples.
Preserve at least one Temple while building a colony
Morgan’s Knights of St. John reach an Aztec city under Spanish siege. The required sequence is to build a Trading Post at the Aztec village, establish a Town Center, keep at least one Aztec Temple standing and destroy the Spanish Town Center. The Temple condition means the player must avoid indiscriminate destruction in the village while clearing the Spanish. Optional goals rescue additional Aztec prisoners and save more than one Temple, expanding the allied force and preserving more of the settlement. Secure the Trading Post and Town Center first, then use the new base to reinforce the Spanish push. Assign a guard to the Temple that must survive and keep the siege force focused on the Spanish Town Center. The scenario introduces Aztec allies into Act I: Blood; the allied villagers and structures should be protected as objectives, not treated as ordinary enemy buildings.