Chapter 87 The capital in the lake, Tenochtitlan! Part 2
Pure sunshine falls from the sky, full of curiosity about the prosperous world. When it falls on the left side of the Great Temple, it turns into the gentle Mayan blue of the Rain Temple. When it falls on the right side of the Great Temple, it turns into the War Temple.
Thick volcanic red.
It continues downwards, dancing in the noble palaces and shining gilded light spots, condensing in the ancient black patterns of the warrior courtyards, scattered on the generous white stone walls of the civilian houses, and then overflowing with light, blending into the priest's green-feathered long crown, blending into
The gold and silver jewelry of the nobles, the long stick of the warrior's obsidian stone, the white cloth robe of the common people, reflected the light again, fell into Shulot's black eyes, and illuminated his brown pupils. The young man's world became colorful.
!
Shulot walked among the solemn and majestic army, intoxicated by the beautiful scenery along the way. He walked along the white and wide bridge, crossed the sparkling water canal, entered the boundary of the main city, and came to the garden area of the nobles. In front of him was a
Gorgeous and refined.
The breeze blows, the faint sweetness of rushes floats along the river, and the fragrance of Avevit pines and cypresses floats beside the embankment. When Shulot passes by the courtyards of nobles, he always smells the fragrance of different kinds of flowers, lingering in the hearts of passers-by. He
My eyes crossed the low wall, and the magnificent tropical flowers were blooming inside the wall. Behind the flower wall, I peeked at the fair ladies marching by the warriors.
"The flowers have faded to red and green, and the apricots are small. When the swallows fly, people are surrounded by green water. There are few willows blowing on the branches. There is no fragrant grass anywhere in the world!"
Shulot took off his helmet and nodded to the lady with a smile. The lady smiled in return, revealing her pretty face without makeup and her neck wearing a turquoise necklace. This is a symbol of wisdom and also represents fifteen to twenty.
A noble student who studied in Kalmykak when he was 18 years old.
There are grasses on the roads and orchids in the courtyards. Flowers are a symbol of the life of warriors, gardens are a symbol of noble status, and flowers are gifts to gods and venerables. Tenochtitlan is both a city on the lake and a city of white stones.
, is the city of temples and the city of flowers.
The envoy from the Great Temple has been waiting here for a long time. According to the high etiquette, the envoy respectfully presented a beautiful wreath and a bunch of bright feathers to Avitt. The wreath was picked from the botanical garden by the lake, and then sent by the temple's
Weaved by a saint. The botanical garden houses various exotic flowers and plants as tribute, and is also a favorite herb collection point for priests.
The feathers also come from the bird zoo in the city, a small island located in the East Lake of the capital, where there are free-range egrets, cardinals, hummingbirds, crested pheasants, swifts, and many brightly colored birds attracted by food. In the middle of the capital lake
On the west side of the main island, there is an exquisitely built beast zoo, which contains smart tamarins, dexterous roe deer, cute guinea pigs, burrowing armadillos and tree-climbing lynxes.
To the north of the Beast Zoo and to the west of the city center, there is a nearly 100-acre urban lake. The surrounding area is carved with white stone and is divided into different small blocks, where freshwater fish for ornamental consumption, colorful tropical fish, and
Strange carnivorous fish from the far south.
As usual, Avit tied feathers on his helmet, then put on a garland, and was led by the messenger to the temple of Quesaltzin, the god of fire, not far to the south. The royal musicians then played the loud conch shell.
, stretched out the alto horn, and beat the thick leather drum, singing the praises of the human world from gods to kings to warriors.
On the way down, Xiulote saw many interesting community street signs, and Ugos smiled and explained them. The "Toldenko" community near the waterway was painted with rushes; the "Toldenko" community was painted with reeds and was close to the lake.
The community of "Acaltan"; the community of "Amanalco", which is painted with water ponds and is newly filled in; and the community of "Ashuitonco", which is painted with long grass and is located in the center of the island.
These names represent the appearance of the land underfoot when the community was first established. But now, Shulot looked around and saw that on top of the soil and stones in the past, there were straight pines and cypresses, bright flowers, white stone bridges, and painted
Houses, bustling crowds of people saluting, and temples everywhere, with statues of gods decorated with gold and silver in the temples, the lingering scent of rosin, and the gorgeous singing of community priests, offering blessings to the returning king.
Accompanied by the singing and the scent of rosin, the team headed southeast. The sight gradually stretched out, and on the east bank of the capital, a long white embankment finally appeared in Shulot's eyes.
This magnificent causeway cuts across the north and south for more than ten kilometers, like the whip waved by the patron saint, directly dividing Lake Texcoco into two halves. On the west side is a carefully developed freshwater lake, and the lake water follows the path for hundreds of kilometers.
The long canal leads all the way from the Prepecha Highlands, watering Chinampa along the way, and also supplies hundreds of thousands of citizens in the capital.
On the east side is the salt water lake with thousands of boats, carrying merchant ships from all over the world, leading to the broader north-south water system, all the way to the Caribbean Sea. The long embankment regulates the salt content of the east and west lakes, and also protects the capital from floods during the rainy season. This is the reason for the
A masterpiece by the chief architect of Xijia, it is similar to the grand design of Dujiangyan.
On the east and west sides, light blue or dark blue, rippling with beating melody, flashing silver light in the sun, and then connecting with the distant sky, merged into the garden of the gods.
"Smoke willows paint bridges, wind curtains and green curtains are scattered among hundreds of thousands of homes. Clouds and trees surround the dike and sand, raging waves roll up frost and snow, and the sky is boundless!"
Faced with the beauty and magnificence of this world, what could Shulot say? He just smiled unconsciously, pursuing the osmanthus and lotus flowers in his memory. Then thousands of troops gathered around him, waiting for one day to drink and get drunk.
, go get drunk, listen to flutes and drums, sing and enjoy the haze!
After walking for more than an hour, passing by more than a dozen communities, the army finally arrived at the Temple of Quesaltzin, the God of Fire, a flat-topped pyramid more than 20 meters high, with the temple located on the top of the tower. Quesaltzin is the Mexican temple
The Canadian God of Fire is the Lord of Turquoise and the Elder God. His other name is Vevete Otel, which is where the meaning of "Vevey" the Elder comes from.
The Fire Temple is not very tall, but it is extremely wide. The walls are made of red volcanic rock, which is extremely strong and durable, like a small fortress. At the outer entrance of the core area of the capital, there are four armories, protecting the core
The temple area, the royal palace area, the mansions of the great nobles and the capital market.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! This is the northern armory, which is also a strong northern stronghold. The southern armory is the corresponding temple of Shuloter, the god of death, and the western armory is Trpochkal
Facing the civilian military academy, the Oriental Armory is the Southern Star Temple in the southeast. Several squads of warriors are usually stationed in the armory, which guards the order and security of the capital and also guards the core ruling class. The temple and military academy are tall and solid,
It is a natural boulder fortress.
However, in the half century since they were built, none of the four armories has played a military role as a stronghold. Because with the establishment of the Aztec Empire, no enemy can invade the capital. The wars in Mexica have always been one-sided.
The external expansion of the country brought back countless tributes, watering the blooming capital city in the lake.
In the temple is the several-meter-high statue of the God of Fire. The God of Fire is a strong man carved from rock. He wears a gold headband marked with a flame symbol. His face is red and black, with protrusions from both sides of his mouth.
He has silver teeth, his upper body is exposed, and he wears numerous butterfly ornaments inlaid with turquoise on his chest. Behind his back is a brightly colored obsidian long knife.
Under the guidance of the temple priest, everyone entered the temple and saluted the God of Fire in batches. The priest of the God of Fire presented Avitt with a turquoise chest ornament and tied it to the king's chest. Shulot also saluted and made a wish, praying for the turquoise enlightenment.
wisdom.
Next came batches of direct warriors. They prayed in small groups to wish for the end of the war and a safe return. When the solemn prayers were completed, the warriors paid homage to Avitt, and then temporarily disbanded and returned to their own homes.
Community. Next, the army will not enter the core of the capital.
According to the norms of Mexica's military society, the core temple area has the highest majesty, while the palace area is not open to ordinary warriors. This is the prestige of the royal family and the great temple, and should not be damaged at will.
After returning to the capital, Gillim had contacted the intelligence department again and confirmed that the elder Trakaeler was not opposed to Avitt's accession to the throne. Along the way, the welcome ceremony at the Great Temple was also that of a king. So after a simple discussion
Later, Avitt disbanded the legion in the armory in accordance with political rules, leaving only the newly replenished two thousand family warriors.
The disbandment of the legion took several hours. Kuruka, Barda and Bergire all said goodbye to Shulot in turn. They wanted to return to their long-awaited home, embrace their missing relatives, and thank the God of Death for leaving their lives.
, thanking the God of War for allowing them to return victoriously. Only Bertard, who was alone, still accompanied Xilot. The vicissitudes of life were engraved on his calm face, just like the volcanic rocks outside the temple that had been refined for thousands of years.
When two thousand warriors once again surrounded the king's flag and went south, the sun was already setting in the west. As we moved towards the core of the city, the terrain became more open and the river gradually disappeared. This is the center of the large island in the middle of the lake, where the capital of Mexica was first built.
This place is also where the temple area is located.
The vast temple area is neatly surrounded by three-meter-high stone walls. These once tall stone walls are now so small that they are not worth mentioning, lying at the foot of the large temple. It is worth mentioning that the stone walls are full of
The vivid serpentine relief forms a strict square, and the length of each side is 365 meters. This may be an amazing coincidence, symbolizing the 365 days of the year in the Mayan solar calendar.
The temple area contains dozens of different temples. The more important ones are the east and west corners, where there are two single pyramids with a height of forty meters. One is dedicated to Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent god. He has
The incarnation of the God of Wind, Sky, and Stars, wearing a mask shaped like an eagle's head, curved shell pendants hanging from his ears, and a shining conch on his chest.
The other is dedicated to the Prime Sun Tezcatlipoca, who is also the god of night, magic, divination and destiny. He has a black face and body, a yellow headband, a changing mirror instead of feet, and different weapons.
Then surround him.
The center of the temple area, the center of the city in the lake, the center of the Aztec Empire, and even the center of the Mexica world is the projection of the Kingdom of God on the human world, the sanctuary for communication between humans and gods, the sixty-meter-high
Twin Pyramids, an unparalleled temple!
Shulot passed through the wall. He tried his best to raise his head and let the long feathers on his head hang down. Then he opened his mouth and forgot to say anything. He could only quietly gaze at this wonder of the classical era, with surging emotions in his heart.
The majestic Great Temple is like a mountain, towering into the clouds, occupying all sightlines. The base of the Great Temple is two to three hundred meters long and wide, and is built entirely of white boulders to support the majestic upper platform. Above the base
, is a twin pyramid, consisting of four sloping steps, each about ten meters high, connected by a passage in the middle.
Climb the four steps along the passage and you will reach the top of the pyramid, a huge platform. The platform is one hundred meters long and eighty meters wide, like a throne for the gods. And above the flat top is the temple high in the sky.
The temple is 20 meters high. On the left is the Mayan blue Rain Temple, dedicated to the god of rain, agriculture, and storm god Tlaloc. On the right is the volcanic red Temple of War, dedicated to the god of war, the sun god, and the patron saint Huitzilo.
The blue color of the Pochtelli temple represents the rainy season and the summer solstice, while the red color represents blood and war.
These are the two most important gods in Mexica belief: Tlaloc gives good harvests in the fields and prevents the flooding of lakes, while Huitzilopochtli gives victory in wars and brings light to the world. Accompanied by these two
Belief in gods, agriculture and war are like the instincts in the body, engraved in the flesh and bones of the Mexica people, guiding the empire forward.
There is a huge brazier in front of each temple, and the holy fire is constantly burning all year round. The fire originated from the end of the previous 52-year cycle, the doomsday sacrificial ceremony in 1455. On the last day of that year, the then chief priest
He climbed to the top of the Holy Mountain of Estela and waited for the appearance of the Pleiades star cluster. Then, he lit the sacred fire in the chest of the divine sacrifice, and was escorted by the most elite warriors until the sacred fire in the Great Temple was rekindled.
.This means that the world will turn again for the next 52 years.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! The warriors of the empire always have a sense of urgency from the heart. They must continue to launch wars to please the gods in the sky and avoid the end of the world. This is how war becomes a warrior
Part of life is like death immediately following it.
The entrance to the temple is guarded by hundreds of temple warriors. And among the silent warriors, there are real sculptures of outstanding warriors of all ages. With a solemn attitude, they hold flags several meters long and wide. On the flag
There are two gods flying in different postures. This represents the loyalty and dedication of the nobles and warriors to the gods.
Shulot looked carefully and saw that the flag was lifelike. Tlaloc had a mask covering his eyes, a headdress of heron feathers, and fangs of a jaguar. He held a golden corn stalk or a symbolic lightning rod in one hand, and in the other
A kettle that gives rain. In the background is a sacrificial jaguar.
Huitzilopochtli wears a blue-green hummingbird helmet, his hair is full of feathers blooming like the sun, his face is streaked with yellow and blue, and he holds a scepter like a snake and a mirror in one hand. The scepter also looks like a projection.
A spear, holding an eagle-feather shield in one hand, ready for battle. In the background are sacrificial bipeds.
This is the most outstanding painter using the most expensive paints, with the greatest reverence and fear, to depict the gods in the hearts of the Mexica people. As for what the real gods look like? But it is decided in the hands of immortal figures.
From the temple to the base, the entire large temple is covered with thick black stripes and colorful paintings. The sinuous and ferocious snake is the most common image, followed by the jaguar favored by the rain god, and the eagle favored by the war god.
The side facing the God of Rain is dotted with simple figures of corn, beans, pumpkins and cacti, while the side of the God of War is decorated with various captured birds and beasts.
The Great Temple is like the sacred mountain that descended into the world in mythology, standing high in the center of the lake city. Legend has it that the rain god Tlaloc came from the sacred mountain, and the God of War conquered other gods in the Snake Mountain. The mountain is the source of the image of the Great Temple.
.And successive generations of monarchs have continued to expand the size of the mountain.
Since it was first completed in 1325, the Great Temple has been expanded four times, each time re-building a larger outer layer of megaliths outside the original temple. In other words, within the twin pyramids in front of you, there are
There are four levels of nested temples. Now, the fifth expansion is underway. This time the expansion will continue to expand the outer wall of the pyramid, but keep the temple unchanged. Each expansion is completed, which means a large-scale event of unprecedented scale.
Sacrifice. From the animals loved by the Rain God to the necessary sacrifices to the God of War.
In front of the magnificent Grand Temple, there is a long transverse canal, which extends into several channels, leading to neatly arranged water tanks. Under the golden light of the setting sun, the top of the Grand Temple turns into a dazzling heaven, and the temple
The reflection flickers in the long canal, like a bright human world!
An unparalleled solemnity and mystery descended on the hearts of worshipers. The praying crowd carried the setting sun on their backs and devoutly prostrated at the foot of the large temple, trembling and feeling the light of God. There were even hundreds of them.
A scheming family warrior.
Shulot looked up at the large temple in front of him, and he wanted to recite a few poems.
For example, "The palace is surrounded by red clouds holding the Purple Emperor, and the river is surrounded by clear electricity and auspiciousness."
Or, "The mountains are steep and the sea of clouds is there, the buildings are so high that they reach into the misty sky, I don't know where the palace is, and I look to the east at the vast mountains." But I always feel that something is wrong.
After thinking for a moment, Shulot understood the reason. In Chinese culture, gods are not worshiped as the supreme object. And all the magnificence of the so-called temples in this world exist only for gods and are by no means human.
Feelings.
So, the young man lowered his head slightly and faced the temple of the god. His emotions turned into an ancient praise:
“Blessed be you in the city of our God, on his holy mountain!”
Beyond the clouds and mountains. His gaze swept over the mountains.
At this time, not far away, on the east side of the great temple where the setting sun dyed red, in the palace of the chief minister, there was an unusually old man. He was using his divine eyes to pass by the gate of the palace and pass by the people walking nearby.
Wang Qi came without any emotion.
Next to him is the kind-faced chief priest Kechar, who wears an obsidian crown, the highest priest's attire, and a gentle smile. Behind him, standing with hands tied, respectfully accompanying him, the round-faced and slightly chubby priest elder Uge
Er. Finally, there are dozens of elder guards, silent. At the head is a warrior with a sculpture-like face, holding a small clay pot in his arms.
"Dear elder, please take a look." Kechar bowed his head in greeting and pointed to the center of the team. There was a handsome, unusually young boy there who was looking at the temple in the sky in shock.
The chief priest then smiled slightly: "The death of the king must be caused by that child!"
