THE   DOWNFALL   OF   THE   DIVINE   WIND

"… this is the memory of the events, which in their time, it was granted to me to witness, the lamentation that even today drowns the heart of many in our nation. The terror that the future instills in us is deeper than the sound of our shells when it fills the space, empty until then, of harmony, at Huitzilopochtli´s mitote. The vision of the canon’s smoke in the air and the sulfurous odor which penetrates everyone who gets near, revive again and again the unreal loud noise that has brought so much destruction to us. It is death who rules now at the sacred premises: viscera of men scattered on the dusty floor cover fragments of darts and feathers which used to decorate our traditional outfits, dark long hairs can be guessed among the stones of the fallen walls of our palaces and pieces of various embroidered huipiles give the scene a strange polychromatic quality."

"The exit from the city, from Tlatelolco and from the great Tenochtitlan was general. In Amáxac our brave warriors were reunited, surviving and defeated, losing all hope in their gods and fearing that the cataclysm of the downfall of the fifth sun would come upon them. Others fled to the Tepeyácac, with the hope of escaping the wrath of the "gods" that a short time ago destroyed their homes and took their belongings, although their extreme want for gold made them despise jade, quetzal feathers and turquoises. They never cared about the fine jewelry works of our artisans, all the precious metal was melted into bars for its transport. They took our women, but only the brown skinned ones, even if they were only wearing tatters. They took our children, the ones that were strong and with virile heart, to enslave them and make them their servants."

"The soul of the Mexícatl people has been humiliated; the terror of defeat and the indignation about the numerous vexations brought by these "gods" to the tenochca nation, burn in their hearts."

"It was then when us, the priests of Ehécatl in the Tetzcocan temple, decided to surrender to the "gods" who came from beyond the immense waters. We wanted to offer them the paintings in which the history of our people and of renowned rulers such as Nezahualcóyotl, is told. In these paintings, we wished to offer them the wisdom of the ancient ones, and the most precious thing we have: the worship of our god Ehécatl."

"We took a boat and crossed the lake, taking great care in avoiding that our presents would get wet. Lightning crossed the sky and it thundered filling our hearts with fear. The waters were red and it seemed that the dark gray that invaded the sky would cover all sign of life on Earth. With deep fear inside us, we arrived to Tenochtitlan’s neighborhoods. We entered the city following one of those waterways of which the city has so many, looking with awe and fear at the broken walls and human remains all over the ground, which just started to emit a strong smell. We continued our way to the sacred premises, where the "gods" were detaining people and demanding the delivery of the gold that they lost during the their escape on the Toltecs’ Channel."

"When we came before them, they took the presents violently from our hands and extended the canvas with the paintings as they started to laugh, as they started to make fun of us. Suddenly, anger possessed their hearts, they took us by the shoulders and shook us, and yelled at us with great fury in a strange language. I could not resist more the feeling of terror that was shaking my bones, so I ran away from the place in great fear. I heard the thunder of their weapons behind me and their angry yelling in that strange tongue, so I ran even faster. Lightning kept crossing the sky and the sound of thunder in the sky added to the sound of the weapons of the "gods" filled me with fear."

"At last, I came to the shore of the lake, but the boat was not to be seen anywhere around. I walked into the water, deeper and deeper into it, until my body was underwater to the chest. The bottom was slippery, a little muddy, but even if slowly, I was able to walk ahead. Every step demanded a greater effort and I was longing for the moment in which I would finish crossing that distance that seemed, more and more, never-ending. Desperation filled my spirit, and I was about to faint, when I reached the opposite shore. I laid on the ground until I recovered, little by little, my breath. My maxtlatl had fell at some point in the lake, and so had the tilmatli that covered my shoulders."

"It was then that I realized that I was completely naked, and tried to stand up. I started to hear barks and growls afar. A strange fury increased their intensity, and mixed with those growls, I heard cries of pain. I evoked then the story that one of the young worshippers who often went to the temple of Ehécatl, where I served, told us, about how the "gods" punished those who offended them throwing them to a place where dogs would devour them."

"I felt in that instant great despair, and a great sadness made me grieve about our fate, shedding tears among pleads made to our lord Ehécatl. Alone, standing on a low elevation of the ground, I stared from afar at the sacrificed city, the ruin of the mexícatl nation, and while a light rain fell on the remains of our world, I thought that Quetzalcóatl’s breath would not give life to our beings anymore….."

THE END

Mitote: religious dance, in which up to 6000 people took part, in concentric circles which had as nucleus a central altar in which musicians stood.

Tilmatli: square cloth tied over the neck or worn over the shoulder, a part of men’s traditional outfit.

© 2001 Hugo. All rights reserved.

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