Three ancient American empires – those of the Aztecs, the Incas and the Maya – have long remained, to a large extent, shrouded in mystery. Their impressive rise and tragic fall is the stuff of legend. Tantalising traces of these once thriving societies can be found in the remains of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan in modern Mexico City, the temple buildings of the Maya and the Inca fortress Machu Picchu.

With the help of state-of-the-art technology, absorbing three-part series CHILDREN OF THE SUN (Tuesday 19th to Thursday 21st, 7.30pm) casts new light upon all three of these long-lost empires. The picture that emerges portrays a world of startling contrasts, in which grisly rites of human sacrifice coexisted alongside astonishingly advanced mathematics, astronomy and craftsmanship.