Aztec mythology; Indian mythology -- Mexico; Mexico -- Religion
“And after this, Toveyo adorned all his body with the rich feathers
called tocivitl, and commanded the Toltecs to gather together for a
festival, and sent a crier up to the top of the mountain Tzatzitepec,
to call in the strangers and the people afar off to dance and to feast.
A numberless multitude gathered to Tulla. When they were all gathered,
Toveyo led them out, young men and girls, to a place called Texcalapa,
where he himself began and led the dancing, playing on a drum. He sang
too, singing each verse to the dancers, who sang it after him, though
they knew not the song beforehand. Then was to be seen a marvellous and
terrible thing. A panic seized the Toltecs. There was a gorge or ravine
there, with a river rushing through it called the Texcaltlauhco. A
stone bridge led over the river. Toveyo broke down this bridge as the
people fled. He saw them tread and crush each other down, under-foot,
and over into the abyss. They that fell were turned into rocks and
stones; as for those that escaped, they did not see nor think that it
was Toveyo and his sorceries had wrought this great destruction; they
were blinded by the witchcraft of the god, and out of their senses like
drunken men.
“Tezcatlipocâ then proceeded to hatch further evil against the Toltecs.
He took the appearance of a certain valiant man called Teguioa, and
commanded a crier to summon all the inhabitants of Tulla and its
neighbourhood to come and help at a certain piece of work in a certain
flower-garden (said to have been a garden belonging to Quetzalcoatl).
All the people gathered to the work, whereupon the disguised god fell
upon them, knocking them on the head with a hoe. Those that escaped the
hoe were trodden down and killed by their fellows in attempting to
escape. A countless number was slain. Every man that had come to the
work was left lying dead among the trodden flowers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account