Harbinger of the Storm
Page 38
It's also worth noting that although we do not know the exact date of Axayacatl's death, we do know that it was the same year as a total eclipse of the sun – which, to a culture so obsessed with the warrior sun, would have been a disaster, a sign that the Fifth Sun/the Southern Hummingbird were withdrawing their favour or losing their power against the forces of the night. I chose to have a (sudden) solar eclipse happen at the tail end of chapter 21, as Tizoc, the anointed Revered Speaker, dies torn by a star-demon, a sign that the gods have indeed abandoned the Mexica Empire.
Other date-related tidbits: the year Two House is of particular significance, since it would have been the anniversary year of the foundation of the Empire, which had also started in a year Two House (1325), a round number of "bundles of years" (or fifty-two-year intervals, the Aztec equivalent of centuries in terms of significance). Just as the Christians were afraid the world would end at the turn of the first millennium, so the Aztecs would have been worried as such as a juncture approached. This is one of those bonuses I didn't actually plan for, but which was pretty cool to find out.
The idea for the heartland comes from the Mexica migration myth, which sees them wandering in the marshes for generations until they finally reach the bountiful place promised to them by their god. Depending on the version of this myth, the Mexica either come from Atzlan ("the White Place", from which comes the name "Aztec") or from one of seven caves at Chicomoztoc. The description of this mythical place, where the Southern Hummingbird still dwells, was drawn from the inspiration for this journey in the annals of Diego Durán. Under the reign of Moctezuma, sages go on a journey back to the heartland to find their god, and are berated for losing sight of their humble origins. Most of those myths are conflated together within Acatl's delirium in chapter 23 – he sees the seven caves, as well as the flight of the herons which are said to be plentiful in Atzlan, and the woman sweeping the floor with a broom of femurs is Coatlicue, the Earth Goddess who is the Southern Hummingbird's mother (and who fell pregnant with him while sweeping the floor of a mountain temple).
A BRIEF PRONUNCIATION GUIDE TO NAHUATL
The present pronunciation guide comes from a phonetic transcription of the Nahuatl language made in the 16th century by the Spanish friars.
Nahuatl words usually have no accent mark, and bear the stress on the penultimate syllable.
Vowels
The vowels are pronounced as in Spanish
a is pronounced "ah", as in "ash" or "park"
e is pronounced "eh", as in "ace"
i is pronounced "ee", as in "seek"
o is pronounced "oh", as in "old"
u is pronounced "oo" as in "wood"
Consonants
All consonants save ll and x are pronounced the same as in Spanish, and therefore the same as in English, except for these notable exceptions:
c is pronounced "s" when it comes before e or i
cu is pronounced "kw" as in "query"
c is pronounced "k" when it comes before any other vowel
h is pronounced "w" as in "wild"
ll is pronounced like a long English "l" as in "fully"
que is pronounced "kay" as in "case"
qui is pronounced "kee" as in "keep"
tl is pronounced as a unit like the "tl" in "battle"
tz is pronounced as in "pretzel"
x is pronounced "sh" as in "shell"
z is pronounced a hissy, soft "c", halfway between "zap" and "cite"
LIST OF CHARACTERS
A
Acatl: Protagonist, High Priest of the Dead
Acamapichtli: High Priest of the Storm Lord
Axayacatl: Revered Speaker of the Mexica Empire (deceased)
C
Chalchiuhtlicue (Jade Skirt): Goddess of Lakes and Streams, Teomitl's patron
Ceyaxochitl: Guardian of the Empire, agent of the Duality in the Fifth World
Coyolxauhqui (She of the Silver Bells): Southern Hummingbird's rebellious sister, imprisoned beneath the Great Temple
E
Echichilli: Eldest member of the council; respected magician.
Ezamahual: Novice priest in Acatl's temple
F
Tlilpopoca: The She Snake, vice-emperor of the Mexica
H
Huitzilpochtli (Southern Hummingbird): God of War and of the Sun, Protector of the Mexica
I
Ichtaca: Fire priest of Acatl's temple, second-in-command of the order
Itzpapalotl (Obsidian Butterfly): Goddess of War and Sacrifice, head of the star-demons
M
Manatzpa: Member of the council, Teomitl's and Tizoc's uncle, Axayacatl's brother
Mihmatini: Acatl's sister, courted by Teomitl
N
Nettoni: Xahuia's sorcerer Neutemoc: Jaguar Knight, Acatl's brother
Nezahualcoyotl: Former ruler of Texcoco, father of Nezahualtzin (deceased)
Nezahual: Ruler of Texcoco
O
Ocome: Councilman
P
Palli: Offering priest in Acatl's temple
Pezotic: Master on the Edge of the Water, councilman
Q
Quenami: High Priest of Southern Hummingbird
Quetzalcoatl (Feathered Serpent): God of Creation and Knowledge
T
Teomitl (Ahuizotl): Brother of Axayacatl and Tizoc
Tezcatlipoca (Smoking Mirror): God of War and Fate
Tizoc-tzin: Brother of Axayacatl and Teomitl, Master of the House of Darts, heir apparent to the Mexica Empire
Tonatiuh (the Fifth Sun): Huitzilpochtli's incarnation as the Sun God
Tlaloc (the Storm Lord): God of Rain and Lightning
U
Ueman: Fire priest, second-in-command of Quetzalcoatl's Wind Tower in Tenochtitlan
Y
Yaotl: Ceyaxochitl's head slave
X
Xahuia: Princess from Texcoco, Axayacatl's wife
Xochipilli (the Flower Prince): God of Youth and Games
Z
Zamayan: Son of Xahuia
A BRIEF GLOSSARY OF AZTEC TERMS AND CONCEPTS
Ahuizotl: A beast living in Lake Texcoco, feasting on the eyes and fingernails of the dead.
Calmecac: (Lit. House of Tears) a school where the children of the wealthy and those destined to the priesthood were educated.
Calpulli: Clan. In reality, a clan had both a geographical extent (the calpullis owned their land, and Tenochtitlan was split along the lines of calpulli lands), and a political and religious one (the elders of the calpulli were responsible for basic justice as well as for worship).
Chinamitl: (Also chinampa, Floating Garden), an artificial island used to grow crops.
She-Snake (Cihuacoatl): Mexica equivalent to viceroy. Symbolising the female order, he was in charge of domestic affairs. When the Emperor went to war, the She-Snake ruled the city in his stead. The two of them never left Tenochtitlan at the same time.
Iyac: (Lit. Leading Youth), a warrior who has proved his worth in combat by taking a prisoner, either singly or in combat. House of Youth: The counterpart to the calmecac. Trained warriors not of the nobility.
Knights: elite corps of warriors, reserved for those with strong prowess in battle. Includes the Jaguar Knights, the Eagle Knights and the Arrow Knights.
Macuahitl: A wooden sword with an edge made of embedded obsidian shards; the traditional Aztec weapon.
Master of the House of Darts: the House of Darts was an armoury (the darts referring to the throwing spears kept inside). There were actually several of these in the capital: one in the Imperial Palace and three around the Sacred Precinct at the entrance of the causeways that were the only link between Tenoctitlan and the mainland. The Master of the House of Darts was the commander of the armies, a step below the Revered Speaker. He coordinated the movement of troops, decided tactics and planned the campaign once the Revered Speaker had decided to declare war on a city.
Mictlan: The Aztec underworld, destination of most of
the dead. In Aztec mythology, those who had died in peculiar circumstances – battle, sacrifice, drowning or in childbirth, for instance – went to various heavens. The remainder went into Mictlan.
Nahuatl: Language spoken in the Basin of Mexico. The dominant Nahuatl dialect was that of the Mexica, but their neighbours such as the people of Tlacopan and Texcoco spoke other dialects.
Patolli: Aztec board game, played with beans as dice.
Priests: The priestly hierarchy had various ranks, the lowest ones being those of priestly aspirants and of calmecac students. Then came the novice priests, who served a particular god in a particular temple. With time, they could be promoted to offering priests. Those cults which offered human sacrifices had a higher rank, that of fire-priest, responsible for choosing the victims and for lighting a fire in their chests. Finally came the High Priests.
Tlatoani: Revered Speaker; the Mexica Emperor
Triple Alliance: formed by the cities of Tenochtitlan, Texcoco and Tlacopan, the Triple Alliance was the main military body of the Valley of Mexico. A mostly military alliance, it had very few political ties, and each city remained independent, but they sent joint armies to war and shared in the tribute that came back.
Tzin: Aztec honorific, equivalent to "Lord". I have taken the liberty of using those as marks of reverence (much in the way of the Japanese "sama"), and not as actual titles.
FURTHER READING
Paper Sources
Manuel Aguilar-Moreno, Handbook to Life in the Aztec World, Oxford University Press, 2006
Frances F. Berdan and Patricia Rief Anawalt, The Essential Codex Mendoza, University of California Press, 1997
Warwick Bray, Everyday Life of the Aztecs, B.T. Batsford Ltd, 1968
Elizabeth M. Brumfiel and Gary M. Feinman, The Aztec World, Abrams, 2008
Roy Burrell, Life in the Time of Moctezuma and the Aztecs, Cherrytree books, 1992
Inga Clendinnen, Aztecs: An Interpretation (Canto), Cambridge University Press, 1991
Aurélie Couvreur, "La Description du Grand Temple de Mexico par Bernardino de Sahagún (Codex de Florence, annexe du livre II)", Journal de la Société des Américanistes, 2002
Nigel Davies, The Aztecs: A History, University of Oklahoma Press, 1973
William Gates, An Aztec Herbal: The Classic Codex of 1552, Dover, 2000
Christopher P. Garraty, "Aztec Teotihuacan: Political Processes at a Post-classic and Early Colonial City-State in the Basin of Mexico", Latin American Antiquity, 2006
Ross Hassig, Aztec Warfare: Imperial Expansion and Political Control, University of Oklahoma Press, 1988
David M. Jones and Brian L. Molyneaux, Mythologies des Amériques, EDDL, 2002
Roberta E. Markman and Peter T. Markman, The Flayed God: the Mythology of Mesoamerica, HarperSanFrancisco, 1992
Jacques Martin and Jean Torton, Les Voyages d'Alix: Les Aztèques, Casterman, 2005
Colin McEwan, Moctezuma, Aztec Ruler, The British Museum Press, 2009
Mary Miller and Karl Taube, An Illustrated Dictionary of the Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya, Thames & Hudson, 1993
Charles Phillips, The Complete Illustrated History of the Aztecs and Maya, Hermes House, 2006
Jacques Soustelle, Daily Life of the Aztecs, Phoenix Press, 2002
G.C. Vaillant, Aztecs of Mexico, Pelican, 1965
Online Sources
Aztec Calendar: http://www.azteccalendar.com
Sacred Texts: http://www.sacred-texts.com , and most particularly the "Rig Veda Americanus" by Daniel G. Brinton
ANGRY ROBOT
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Our father the sun
An Angry Robot paperback original 2011
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Copyright © Aliette de Bodard 2011
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