Tijuana Gringo | (28 08 00) |
Chapter One: There it is said that portents and evil omens were manifested, were given to be seen, although no Spaniards had come to this land and the inhabitants here had no knowledge of them.
Aztec
Doombook XII of Sahagun
as told by native informants1. -- Ten years before the Spaniards came, an evil
omen first showed itself in the heavens.
One like a corn-ear of fire, like a flame
of fire, like the aurora; it displayed
itself as if it were dripping, as if
it were puncturing the heavens.2. -- Wide at its seat, narrow at its peak.
Right in the middle of the sky, up in
the center of the heavens it came,
right up in the sky it was being seen.3. -- And in this way it was seen: there
in the east it showed itself: in
this way it came towards midnight.
It manifested itself: it
appeared, into the dawn: until
the sun made it disappear.4. -- And in the time in which it was
appearing: for a year it was coming to
show itself. It began in the year 12-house.5. -- Then when it showed itself there was widespread
alarm: the people struck their hands against
their lips; there was great fear; they
constantly spoke of it.6. -- The second evil oment which happened
here in Mexico: Of its own account
the house of Huitzilopochtli burned in
flames, it caught itself on fire: surely
no one put fire to it, it only
burned by its own spontaneous action.
It was called his divine place, the
place called Tlacatecan ("House of Command").7. -- It showed itself like this: now the columns
burn. There come the flames of fire from within,
the tongues of fire, the blazing up of fire.8. -- In extreme speed the fire finishes
all the timber woodwork. At that moment
thunderous shouting comes; they say: "Mexicans,
come quickly: it shall be extinguished!
Your water jars!"9. -- But when they threw water on it, when they
tried to put it out, it would only burn
itself flaming more. It could not be
extinguished: everything was burned.10. -- The third evil omen: A temple was
struck by lightning. It was only made of
thatched straw: where the place is called Tzumulco.
The temple of Xiuhtecuhtli. It was
not raining hard, only drizzling lightly.
So it was taken for an omen; they
were saying like this: "It was only a strike
from the sun." Neither was any thunder heard.11. -- The fourth evil omen: A fire fell
when the sun was still up. It divided
into three parts: it came from where the sun
goes down: it went directly coming to
where the sun rises: as if it were embers,
it went falling in a rain of sparks.
Long stretched its skirt, from far came its tail.
And when it was seen, there was great alarm,
as if the people were shaking rattles.12. -- The fifth evil omen: The water swarmed:
the wind did not cause it to be alarmed
and boil. As if it boiled itself in fury,
as if it broke itself into pieces
and whirled about. Its force went very
far, and was lifted very high. It
came against the foundations of the houses:
and the demolished houses drowned themselves
in the water. This was in the lake
which is next to us.13. -- The sixth evil omen: Many times it
was heard: a woman weeping; she went calling
through the night; she walked giving great cries"
"My little children, but now we
have to go far away!"
And at times she was saying:
"My little children, where will
you take yourselves?"14. -- The seventh evil omen: Many times
something was trapped, was caught in the nets.
Those who were working in the water caught
a certain bird. Ash-colored, like it might
be a crane. Then they took it to show to
Motecuhzoma, in the House of the
Black ("House of Magic Study").15. -- The sun had arrived at it greatest height:
it was mid-day. There was like a mirror
on top the bird's head: it was round like a
spindle disk, spiral shaped and tangled: it
was as if perforated on its median.16 -- There he saw the heavens: the stars of the
Mastelejo [*]. And Moctecuhzoma
had it as a very bad omen, when
he saw the stars and the Mastelejo.17. -- But when he looked a second time at the
head of the bird, now he saw there, in the
distance, as if some people might
come quickly, well spread out, pushing forward.
They were making war one on another, and
something like deer carried them on their backs.18. -- At this moment he called his magicians,
his wise men. He said to them:
"Don't you know: what is it I have seen?
Something like people on foot and fighting...!"19. -- But they, wanting to give an answer,
turned to see: everything disappeared:
they saw nothing.20. -- The eighth evil omen: Many times
deformed men, monstrous persons, were shown to
the people. With two heads, but only one
body. They brought them to the House of the
Black; they showed them to Moctecuhzoma.
When he had seen them, then they disappeared.________________________
* Mastelejo = "The fire drill"
three stars around
the head of Taurus
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Chapter II, Aztec Doom --//--Aztec Doom Table