Aztec: Difference between revisions

{{quote|Mixtli: ...And I concluded with the words I had heard in various languages everywhere:

"The Azteca were here, but they brought nothing with them, and they left nothing where they went." }}

 

''Aztec'' is a 1980 historical fiction novel written by Gary Jennings. It is the highly lengthy life story of a noble '''Aztec''' (more properly Mexica) man named Mixtli, or "Dark Cloud." After the Spanish Conquest, Mixtli is asked by the Bishop of New Spain to tell his life story to a group of friars who are recording his story for the King of Spain. The novel is notable for being one of the first ever depictions in media of the Aztecs as heroes, rather than villains, though certainly there are plenty of both among the Mexica pre-Conquest. It is also notable for not shying away from graphic depictions of both sex and violence (and sometimes both at once), as might be expected from a society like that of the Mexica.

* [[Papa Wolf]]: Mixtli, although sadly {{spoiler|he's too late to do any good.}}

* [[Pet the Dog]]: Mixtli giving Cozcatl his freedom. Also, when Blood Glutton, previously a [[Drill Sergeant Nasty]], comes to their aid during the journey south.

* [[Prophecies Are Always Right]]: Everything the cacao-bean man tells Mixtli on his first visit to Tenochtitlan.

* [[Reinventing the Telephone]]: Mixtli, with the help of a crystalsmith in one of the southern lands, invents the magnifying glass and, later, the monocle. In the sequel, Mixtli's son Tenamaxtzin reinvents grenades.