PRAISE FOR AN EPIC MASTERPIECE! "AZTEC is a magnificent historical saga ... In AZ- TEC, the splendor and the sophistication as well as the sadism of these people come to life in this novel which is nothing less than a brilliant evocation of a vanished empire ... the true stuff of storytelling at its height." Houston Chronicle "AZTEC is so vivid that this reviewer had the novel experience of dreaming of the Aztec world, in Tech- nicolor, for several nights in a row." Chicago Sun-Times "Magnificent ... This remarkable novel brings 'the Aztecs to life as people ... It would be difficult to over-praise Gary Jennings ... so rich in scholarship, action and character, so lofty in tone, and so under- standing of a totally alien culture ... This is masterful historical fiction.'' John Barkham Reviews "Some ten years in the making, this huge colorful, lusty and often grisly novel that fairly shouts best- seller, speaks of the heights and depths of the Aztec civilization as it is remembered by one man who sur- vives the coming of the Conquistadors ... " Publishers Weekly "For sheer narrative flow, few volumes of recent years match this portrait ofMixtli-Dark Cloud, a remarkable product of a remarkable civilization ... This is a bril- liantly readable novel, from the first to the last page. Put it this way: This is better entertainment than 99. 9 per cent of television." · Erie Times "Remarkable ... it conveys with ferocious yet often lyrical force the texture of life in a civilization at once intensely sophisticated and, by our standards, utterly barbaric ... a splendidly colorful, wholly convincing re-creation of a vanished culture." Cosmopolitan "Jennings, a boisterous storyteller, has amassed hundreds of bawdy, grisly, occasionally funny, hand- somely scenic details-and he offers them in a sleek, urbane, picaresque adventure ... steaming with gore, sex, heady adventure, and some righteous (and right- ful) display of those feathered banners for a vanished culture." Kirkus Reviews "Lovers of SHOGUN and James Michener's gigantic chunks of authentic-though-novelized history wilt have a nearly endless feast with Gary Jennings' AZ- TEC, an encyclopedia of human sacrifice, sex, and gore." Gallery "An historical diorama of the broadest dimensions, a meditation on the human condition that bears pon- dering, and a story of unfailing (if variable) power to bind a spell." Washington Post "A long and ambitious novel which immerses the reader in a fascinating civilization. The history, ge- ography, art, literature and religion of the Aztecs are all here, along with a wealth of information about the people themselves and the way they went about the business of living." Denver Post Other Avon Books by Gary Jennings Sow THE SEEDS OF HEMP THE TERRIBLE TEAGUE BUNCH Avon Books are available at special quantity discounts for bulk purchases for sales promotions, premiums, fund raising or educational use. Special books, or book excerpts, can also be created to fit specific needs. For details write or telephone the office of the Director of Special Markets, Avon Books, Dept. FP, 1790 Broadway, New York, New York 10019, 212-262-3361. GARY JENNINGS A AVON W PUBLISHERS OF BARD, CAMELOT, DISCUS AND FLARE BOOKS End maps and chart in front matter copyright © 1980 by A. Karl/ J. Kemp AVON BOOKS A division of The Hearst Corporation 1790 Broadway New York, New York 10019 Copyright© 1980 by Gary Jennings Published by arrangement with Atheneum Publishers Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 80-55608 ISBN: 0-380-55889-0 All rights reserved, which includes the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever except as provided by the U. S. Copyright Law. For information address Atheneum Publishers, 597 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10017 The Atheneum Publishers edition contains the following Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data: Jennings, Gary. Aztec. I. Aztecs-Fiction I. Title. PZ4.J532.Az 1980 [PS3560.E518] 813".54 80-55608 First Avon Printing, January, 1982 AVON TRADEMARK REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. AND IN OTHER COUNTRIES, MARCA REGISTRADA. HECHO EN U.S.A. Printed in the U.S.A. WFH 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 II 10 FOR ZYANYA I(;- You tell me then that I must perish like the flowers that I cherish. Nothing remaining of my name, nothing remembered of my fame? But the gardens I planted still are young- the songs I sang will still be sung! HUEXOTZIN Prince of Texcoco CA. 1484 I .. .. 6 i rrro1 -----,i't-------, ~ l lb O '"" Ills====•=•=:::::;=;:;. :;::;----=,;--.::=a:!a··=:1aaa f ~=--=====Y•=.-d,=::::::l CANAL J IN CEM-ANAHUAC YOYOTLI THE HEART OF THE ONE WORLD THE CENTRAL PLAZA OF TENOCHTI11..AN, 1521 (Only the major landmarks, and/or those mentioned in the text, are identified) I The Great Pyramid 2 The Temple of Tlaloc 3 The Temple of Huitzilop6chtli 4 Fonner Temple of Huitzilop6chtli, later (after completion of the Great Pyramid, 1487) the Coateocali, or catch-all temple of numerous minor gods, plus gods appropriated from other nations. 5 The Stone of Tixoc 6 The Tzompantli, or skull rack 7 The Ceremonial Tlachtli Ball Court 8 The Platfonn of the Sun Stone 9 The Temple of Tezcatlip6ca 10 The Snake Wall 11 The House of Song 12 The Menagerie 13 The Palace of Axayacatl, later of Cortes 14 The Palace of Ahuitzotl, ravaged by flood, 1499 15 The Palace of Motecuz6ma I 16 The Palace of Motecuz6ma II 17 The Temple of Xipe Totec 18 The Eagle Temple COURT OF CASTILE VALLADOLID To His Majesty's legate and chaplain, Fray Don Juan de Zumarraga, lately appointed Bishop of the See of Mexico in New Spain, a charge upon him: THAT we may be better acquainted with our colony of New Spain, of its peculiarities, its riches, the people who possessed it, and the beliefs, rites, and ceremonies which they heretofore held, we wish to be informed of all matters apper- taining to the Indians during their existence in that land before the corning of our liberating forces, ambassadors, evangels, and colonizers. Therefore, we order that you shall inform yourself from ancient Indians (having first administered to them the oath, to assure veracity) as to their country's history, their governments, their traditions, their customs, &c. In addition to the infor- mation that you secure from witnesses, you will cause to be brought before you any writings, tablets, or other records of that foregone time which may substantiate what is said, and you will cause your missionary friars to search and ask for such records among the Indians. Because this is a very weighty matter and very necessary I 2 for the discharge of His Majesty's conscience, we command you to attend to the conduct of the said inquiry with all possible promptitude, care, and diligence, and that your account be set forth in much detail. (ecce signum) CAROLUS R ffi I Rex et I mperator H ispaniae Carolus Primus Sacri Romani Imperi Carolus Quintus IHS ffi S.C.C.M. Sanctified, Caesarean, Catholic Majesty, the Emperor Don Carlos, Our Lord King: MAY the grace, peace, and lovingkindness of Our Lord Jesus Christ be with Your Majesty Don Carlos, by divine mercy eternally august Emperor; and with your esteemed Queen Mother Dofia Juana, together with Your Majesty by the grace of God rulers of Castile, of Le6n, of Arag6n, of the Two Sicilies, of Jerusalem, of Navarre, of Granada, of Toledo, of Valencia, of Galicia, of Mallorca, of Seville, of Sardinia, of C6rdova, of C6rcega, of Murcia, of Jaen, of the Caribbees, of Algeciras, of Gibraltar, of the Canary Isles, of the Indies, of the islands and lands of the Ocean Sea; Counts of Flanders and of the Tyrol, &c. Very Fortunate and Most Excellent Prince: from this city of Tenochtftlan-Mexico, capital of your dominion of New Spain, this twelfth day after the Assumption, in the Year of Our Lord one thousand five hundred twenty and nine, greeting. It was but eighteen months ago, Your Majesty, when we, though the least of your vassal subjects, heeded Your Majesty's command that we assume this trifold post as the first appointed 3 4 Bishop of Mexfco, Protector of the Indians, and Apostolic Inquisitor, all embodied in our one and own poor person. It has been but nine months since our arrival in this New World, and there was much arduous work awaiting us. In accordance with the mandate of this appointment, we have striven zealously "to instruct the Indians in their duty to hold and worship One True God, Who is in Heaven, by Whom all creatures live and are maintained"-and likewise "to ac- quaint the Indians of that Most Invincible and Catholic Majesty, the Emperor Don Carlos, whom divine Providence has willed that the whole world should obey and serve." Inculcating these lessons, Sire, has been far from easy or expeditious. There is a saying among our fellow Spaniards here, extant well before our arrival: "The Indians cannot hear except through their buttocks." But we try to bear in mind that these miserable and spiritually impoverished Indians-or Az- tecs, as most Spaniards now refer to this particular tribe or nation of them hereabouts-are inferior to all the rest of man- kind, and therefore, in their insignificance, deserve our tolerant indulgence. Besides attending to the Indians' instruction-that there is only One God in Heaven, and the Emperor on earth, whose subjects they have all become and whom they must serve-and besides dealing with many other ecclesiastical and civil matters, we have attempted to comply with Your Majesty's personal adjuration to us: that we early prepare an account of the con- ditions of this terra paena-incognita, the manners and ways of life of its inhabitants, the customs, &c. formerly obtaining in this benighted land. Your Most Lofty Majesty's royal cedula specifies that we, in providing the chronicle, shall inform ourself "from ancient Indians." This has necessitated something of a search, inas- much as the total destruction of this city by Captain-General Heman Cortes left us very few ancient Indians from whom to seek a credible oral history. Even the workers currently re- building the city consist mainly of women, children, the dolts and dotards who were unfit to fight in the siege, brute peasants conscripted from the outlying lands. Oafs, all of them. Nevertheless, we were able to ferret out one ancient Indian (of some sixty and three years of age) capable of providing the 5 desired account. This Mexicatl--he repudiates both the appel- lations Aztec and Indian-is of a high grade of intelligence (for his race), is articulate, is possessed of what education was heretofore afforded in these parts, and has been in his time a scrivener of what passes for writing among these people. In his lifetime he has had numerous occupations besides that of scribe: as warrior, as courtier, as traveling merchant, even as a sort of emissary from the late rulers of this place to the first arriving Castilian liberators,' and those envoy duties have given him a passable grasp of our language. Though his Cas- tilian falters seldom, we of course desire precision in all details. So we have provided an interpreter, a young lad who has considerable proficiency in Nahuatl (which is what these Aztecs call their guttural language of lengthy and unlovely words). In the interrogation room, we have also seated four of our own scribes. These friars are adept in that art of swift writing by character, known as Tironian notes, which is employed at Rome for making memoranda of the Holy Father's every utterance, and even for recording the entire proceedings of many-peopled conferences. We bade the Aztec sit down and tell us his life story. The four friars, busily flicking away at their Tironian squiggles, did not then or since lose a single word that drops from the Indian's lips. Drops? Better say: words that cascade in torrents alter- nately loathly and corrosive. You will soon see what we mean, Sire. From the very first opening of his mouth, the Aztec evinces disrespect for our person, our cloth, and our office as our Revered Majesty's personally chosen missionary, which disrespect is an implicit insult to our sovereign himself. The first pages of the Indian's narrative follow immediately after this explanatory introduction. Sealed for your eyes only, Sire, this package of manuscript will depart Tezuftlan de la Vera Cruz the day after tomorrow in the keeping of Captain Sanchez Santovena, master of the caravel Gloria. Your Caesarean Majesty's wisdom, sagacity, and discrim- ination being universally known, we realize that we risk your imperial displeasure in presuming to preface the enclosed pages with a caveat, but, in our episcopal and apostolic capacity, we feel that obligatory upon us. We are sincerely desirous of com- plying with Your Majesty's cedula, of sending a true report of 6 all there is worth knowing of this land. But others besides ourself will tell Your Majesty that the Indians are paltry beings, in whom one will scarcely find even vestiges of humanity; who do not even have a comprehensible written language; who have never had any written laws, but only barbaric customs and traditions; who have been or still are addicted to all kinds of intemperance, paganism, ferocity, and carnal lusts; who have but lately tortured and slain their own fellow beings for the sake of their misbegotten "religion." We cannot believe that a worthwhile or edifying report can be procured from an informant like this arrogant Aztec, or from any other native, however articulate. Also, we cannot believe that our Sanctified Emperor Don Carlos can be other than scandalized by the iniquitous, salacious, and impious prattlings of this oveiweening specimen of a dunghill race. We have referred to the enclosure herewith as the first part of the Indian's chronicle. We fervently desire and trust that it will also, by Your Majesty's command, be the last. May God Our Lord guard and preserve the precious life, the very royal person, and the very catholic estate of Your Majesty for uncounted years, with the enlargement of your reigns and dominions as your royal heart desires. Of Your S.C.C.M., the ever faithful servant and chaplain, (ecce signum) Fr. Juan de Zumarraga Bishop of Mexfco Apostolic Inquisitor Protector of the Indians