Trifariam, The Lost Codex (2012)

by Diego Rodriguez

  “It’s just that… I don’t want them to hurt you.”

  “I know, James, but think about this rationally. They won’t touch us as long as they think we’re useful. They need us to complete the Trifariam. We need to know what their plan of action is and then organize our escape.”

  “Before I left, I heard Richard suggest that they put an end to their telephone communications. They’re going to use e-mail from now on.”

  “And do you know his e-mail address? I have a friend who owes me a small favor, I think he could easily find out the password. That way, we would always know about his intentions, his plans. We would know what to do!”

  “Yes, I know his university address but he’s probably using another one. Even so, we could get into is personal computer and, with any luck, his e-mail client will display the address he is using. There’s just one problem.”

  “What?” she asked, intrigued.

  “His computer itself has a password. Without that, we can’t get inside.”

  Chapter 44

  When the elevator doors opened, Richard looked around the room for his two friends. At first he couldn’t see them among the people sitting on the comfortable sofas in the suite, devouring the various copies of Mexican newspapers and magazines. He walked through the front door of the hotel. The sun’s rays blinded him momentarily until they became accustomed to the daylight. Just a few feet away, sitting on a wooden bench, his two friends were looking at a park located just in front of the hotel. Richard walked over towards them. The din coming from a group of children playing with an old, almost deflated football rendered whatever conversation his friends were having inaudible to his ears.

  As soon as James became aware of Richard’s presence, he slipped out his left hand and laid it on Mary’s thigh, squeezing it slightly and indicating to him that now wasn’t the time for them to talk. He suddenly noticed how his throat was beginning to close up, making breathing difficult. No doubt he had yet to digest the news which was causing him so much distress, disillusionment and desperation that he wanted to shake Richard with all his strength, demanding explanations, but that would precipitate his and Mary’s demise. They had to pretend or it would be the end of them.

  “Here I am. Have you been waiting long?”

  James kept his gaze on the horizon without saying a word, as if he hadn’t heard him. However, anger was starting to build exponentially inside him and although Richard seemed to be unaware, Mary picked up on it instantly. She gently dug her elbow into his ribs, which was enough to pacify him slightly and remind him that their lives were in danger.

  “We’ve only just left the hotel,” she said eventually.

  She seemed to be telling the truth but something was starting to make the paleographer uneasy. Maybe it was the way they had mumbled to each other when they saw him appear, together with his friend’s indifference to him, which had him worried more than usual, making him think that they were hiding something, but his thoughts dissipated when James stood up from the bench and patted him on the back, leading them to the taxi.

  It must be their first tiff, Richard thought.

  The journey to the ruins of Teotihuacan was rather uncomfortable. James barely spoke for the whole journey and only answered a couple of questions that Richard had asked him not through curiosity, but to check that he was okay. Mary tried to explain to her friends about the most important features of the civilization which populated this area around two thousand years ago. They remained there for over seven centuries, being home to over two hundred thousand people in total who occupied a surface of around three and a half square miles.

  According to Mary, the key to comprehending how such a city was created was to first understand the decline of the culture of Cuicuilco. For centuries it was one of the most important cities until it was destroyed by a volcano. This disaster caused its inhabitants to move on towards Teotihuacan, which is where the vast majority settled, bringing with them many aspects of their own culture, heavily influencing that of Teotihuacan.

  It is thought that memories of the volcano mercilessly lingered in the minds of the survivors, making them believe that it was a divine punishment. They therefore sought to create an impressive city with numerous temples for them to demonstrate their devotion and avoid being punished again. The city owes its name to the Aztecs, who were the first to discover it when it had already been abandoned. In fact, its original name is still unknown. It is important to note that for the Aztecs, the name Teotihuacan meant “birthplace of the gods”. They must have been astonished to discover these ruins and immediately thought that such a site couldn’t possibly have been created by mere mortals, but by gods.

  The Cuicuilo was a very intelligent civilization, whose aim was to improve the lives of everyday people, and one in which the citizens helped one another to achieve this.

  They abandoned the site around 750 AD, and although it remains unclear what caused them to move, it is thought that the constant plundering of Mother Earth’s natural resources in order to build their magnificent monument caused the majority of citizens, who were respectful towards the environment, to set out to destroy a large part of their city in a short period of time.

  Despite it being almost lunchtime and the sun’s heat growing fiercer, over a hundred people were looking at the city ruins in minute detail.

  Richard took out some sheets of paper from his backpack and handed one to each of them. On them was drawn the following map:

  “Last night I took the liberty of printing three copies of an aerial view of Teotihuacan. This way we’ll have a map of the area and we’ll know where each structure is located.”

  They began their visit at the great Plaza de la Ciudadela, or Plaza of the Citadel, which represented the physical and spiritual heart of the city.

  Richard attempted to strike up conversation from the outset. “Where does the name come from? The Aztecs?”

  “No,” replied Mary. “It was christened by the Spanish Conquistadors of the sixteenth century. At first they thought it was a military structure but if you look closely, you can see that it is in the form of a large patio lined with several rooms where the priests and governors are thought to have lived.”

  “And what about that structure?” asked Richard again, pointing to a magnificent temple within the citadel itself.

  “That’s the Temple of Quetzalcoatl. Contrary to what the majority of tourists think, this temple wasn’t built by the Teotihuacan civilization, but instead that of Tolteca. When the latter discovered the ruins, they immediately considered it to be a holy city and started the tradition of burying their sovereigns there. That’s why they ordered the temple to be built.”

  After a few minutes, they left the Citadel. Mary led them towards the Avenue of the Dead, so-called because a group of researchers thought that its structures contained the tombs of several dignitaries.

  “This is the famous Avenue of the Dead, which was the core of the city and the ceremonial center.”

  “It’s very long,” said James as he covered his eyes with his hand to shade them from the sun.

  “Yes, it’s around a mile long and one hundred and thirty feet wide. The structures you see on either side are houses, temples and even palaces belonging to the most important figures who lived in the city.”

  It struck James that the vast majority of people they came across were going in the opposite direction. Although it didn’t bother him too much, given that Mary was an exceptional guide, he wondered for a moment if they had started their visit of the city at the wrong end.

  “A short while ago, they discovered more than two hundred skeletons with clear signs of having suffered chilling fates; their hands and legs were tied together. They were probably sacrificed to the gods.”

  Richard frowned in surprise. “But… you told us that the civilization was a pacific and very intelligent one where they helped each other. “

  “That’s right. They thought that they were alive because they had manage
d to outsmart the wrath of the gods, and believed that the death of the few would enable the many to stay alive longer. That’s why they made enormous amounts of sacrifices, normally with people who didn’t belong to the population, and always with the intention of remaining alive for as long as they could.”

  “Look!” shouted James as he pointed at a gigantic structure which rose up from the ground on the right, about halfway down the avenue.

  “That’s the Pyramid of the Sun. It’s two hundred and forty feet high, which makes it the tallest pyramid in Teotihuacan. When it was being built, they tried to angle it so that the Sun is hidden behind it on 13 August.”

  After turning slightly off to the right, they walked over to the base of the structure. Upon first glance, it seemed to be made up of four or five platforms, one on top of the other, making a giant triangular structure. In the middle of one of its faces was a long staircase which allowed tourists to climb to the top.

  Looking up from the base towards the uppermost part of the monument, they could see several dozen people trying desperately to do just that. Many of them were taking advantage of the various spaces made available at the end of each platform to catch their breath and continue on their ascent.

  “You’re not thinking of going up there?” asked Richard as he saw how his two friends had already started climbing the first few steps.

  “Of course!” exclaimed the archaeologist. “There must be some incredible views from up there.”

  Richard sighed in distress.

  It didn’t take long for Mary and James to climb the first platforms, despite the dangerous appearance of some of the steps. They were followed close behind by Richard, who was starting to find it hard to breathe, inhaling big mouthfuls of air more often than usual.

  A couple was blocking his way when he was just about to reach the penultimate platform.

  “I counted two hundred and forty eight steps. What about you?” asked the woman, turning towards her husband.

  Richard, who had stood slightly aside to let them continue their descent, tightly gripped the handrail so as not to lose his balance. When the woman turned back to face the front, the sun blinded her and when she went to put her foot on the next step, she slipped and nearly took the paleographer with her. He managed to grab her around the waist just in time, clutching her against his chest without letting go of the handrail.

  “Oh! Thank you so much!” smiled the tourist while her husband looked on concerned, without fully realizing what had just happened. “I almost killed myself back there!”

  “Don’t worry. These steps are so steep that it’s hard not to fall.”

  A few feet up, James and Mary were just climbing the last step to the top. The view from up there was incredibly beautiful. They could see the whole city of Teotihuacan and admire its majesty.

  The professor pointed to another pyramidal structure which he could make out at the end of the avenue.

  Mary looked in the direction he was indicating. “That’s the Pyramid of the Moon. It isn’t as tall as the Pyramid of the Sun, it measures about one hundred and fifty feet in height. It is considered to be the starting point of the Avenue of the Dead.”

  In the distance it seemed like a small group of tourists were getting ready to begin their ascent, while another was already coming back down.

  “It looks like they are the same height.”

  “It’s an optical illusion. Although it is smaller in size, it is built on higher terrain which is why they seem to be as high as one another.”

  A few minutes later, Richard burst onto the scene after having made it through his particular via crucis. He was completely exhausted. He could make out his friends just behind a group of people who were milling around a square platform which appeared to be the remains of an old temple and statue.

  Chapter 45

  “I swear I’m going to join a gym when all this is over,” muttered the paleographer as he gasped for air. “The view is wonderful, you can see the whole compound.”

  “They look like ants from up here,” James pointed out.

  Although Richard hadn’t heard the conversation, he understood that he was talking about the large group of tourists walking down the Avenue of the Dead.

  A strong wind was blowing around the summit and the loud hissing impeded communication.

  “Where do you think we should start looking?” asked Richard.

  “According to the text, it must be hidden beneath one of the Pyramids of Teotihuacan,” replied Mary without hesitation. “I’d say the Pyramid of the Sun.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, in the seventies a cave was discovered just below it. A well at the foot of the steps will take us there. It’s around twenty-three feet deep, and leads into a tunnel which is over three hundred feet long and just three feet wide.”

  James frowned. There was something he didn’t quite understand. “Have they only found one cave up until now? What if there was another one below the Pyramid of the Moon which is still lying undiscovered?”

  “Actually, a new well has recently been discovered just in front of the Temple of Quetzalcoatl. It’s about sixteen feet in diameter and forty-five feet deep. The entrance leads to an underground channel that ends in a series of galleries and chambers dug into the rock itself. However, I’m sure it’s here. Richard, could you read to us again the first part of the text you translated, please?”

  He took out a crumpled piece of paper and read the first four lines with a voice as clear as crystal.

  Symbols of light and dark recast,

  remains of a people lost in the past.

  Four are the paths which extend below,

  beware the three cursed with woe.

  “It is clear that these two pyramids are the most important remains of the lost Teotihuacan civilization. They also represent the Sun and Moon respectively, or day and night. The archaeologists who investigated the cave below the Pyramid of the Sun came to the conclusion that its shape is similar to that of a flower with four petals; there are four doors inside which lead to the four rooms which comprise the petals. They could be the ‘four paths’ referred to in the text.”

  Now James really was silent. The details fitted perfectly.

  “Okay, there’s no time to lose. Let’s go and look at the cave,” said Richard after ushering his friends down the stairs.

  “There’s one slight problem,” mumbled Mary. “Until recently, nobody was allowed access to the well; it was even sealed up. Just over a month ago, however, a group of archaeologists managed to gain permission to investigate it for a couple of years. We’d have to be really lucky to get in there unseen.”

  The way down to the base of the pyramid was not at all easy, either. The sheer number of people who were trying to get to the top combined with the hazardous steps meant that the descent was impossible without using the handrail at least a couple of times.

  Mary guided them towards the entrance to the well, at that time surrounded by a number of metal fences tied together with a strong steel chain, and covered by a huge white canopy. A makeshift ladder allowed the archaeologists to descend the twenty-three feet into the depths of the hole with relative safety. Right in front, a huge sign warned daredevil tourists off with a clear and stark message:

  ACCESS PROHIBITED

  Not a sound came from inside the well.

  “Do you think they’re having lunch?” asked James as he agilely vaulted over one the fences and wrapped himself around the ladder.

  “What are you doing?!” yelled Richard. “Are you crazy? They’re going to see us.”

  “We have no choice,” replied Mary, stunned at the lack of security. “We have to go in.”

  Richard finally agreed and went towards the ladder, but not before shaking his head in disapproval and making certain that nobody was watching them. Mary followed him in.

  Before them was a narrow tunnel barely three feet wide that led inside the pyramid. The lighting was poor; there were only a dozen bulbs
to light the way, all of them fitted to the ceiling and spaced a few feet apart. On both sides they could see the remains of what appeared to be channels through which the water would run in ancient times.

  The dampness increased as they went on. The walked with due caution, in silence. The poor lighting made it difficult to see beyond six feet ahead, which meant that they were once again plunged into darkness as soon as they left one behind. Even the light from outside, which had lit the first few feet, seemed like a star in the sky when they looked back halfway down the passage.

  When they reached the halfway point, they detected a sudden narrowing of the walls, leaving a space of less than thirty inches. Although the space was sufficiently wide to move through, they began to feel anxious and claustrophobic.

  When the darkness was at its blackest, Richard’s arms unexpectedly brushed those of James. The latter stifled a scream of terror, his first instinct being to get them off him. Richard crashed to the ground. His right foot had gotten caught in a hole that his friends had inexplicably got round successfully, and which made him lose his balance and fall to the ground.

  “Shit! What are you doing?!”

  “I tripped over something. I don’t know what the fuck it is, but my foot’s stuck.”

  When he spun around, his suspicions were confirmed. His friend was lying prostrate on the floor without being able to move. “Let me see what it is,” he said, moving his hands towards his friend’s feet. The lack of light meant he couldn’t see a thing, so his first analysis of the situation was made by feeling around in the dark. “It feels like it’s an old grille that was covering a hole. It was probably rusty and you broke it by stepping on it. Your foot is caught between two bars.”