Chapter 636 The Second Kingdom Exploration, Moon Mother Goddess, Temptation of Fate

The vast sea and sky extend to the endless east. The seven kingdom longships, driven by nearly four hundred warriors and sailors, replenished food and water, loaded with ship materials, scriptures, gems and weapons, and left the world of the Nahua tribes, heading for Maya, which had never been reached. .

Starting from Hidden Snake City and sailing fifty miles east, you will find the ruins of the second ancient city, La Venta, which was once ancient and glorious but is now abandoned. The ruins of the ancient city are located on an island in the middle of a lake just inside the seaside. Dozens of giant god heads stand, tilt or even fall over like dead gods. In the city-states on the island, you can see the vicissitudes of brick and stone buildings everywhere, as well as half-domed observatories.

In the center of the ancient city ruins, a tall pyramid temple was built in accordance with the practice of Mesoamerican city-states. The Pyramid Temple of La Venta is more than thirty meters high and is located in the center of the island in the lake, clearly visible from miles away.

Although the second ancient city is abandoned, the temples in the ancient city are still important ritual sanctuaries. Every time there is spring plowing or autumn harvest, or the life and death of gods, sacred sacrificial rituals will be held here. At this moment, dozens of temple warriors from the local city-state were guarding around the temple with hundreds of militiamen. They saw the long boats in the river from a distance, as well as the warriors and sailors on the boats holding spears and carrying big bows, and they all became wary.

Surrounding the ancient city is a broad river, surrounding the remains of the ancient city-state and flowing northward into the sea. The name of this big river is Honglin River (now Rio Tonala River).

"This big river is called Linhe, so it must be because there are many woods around it. But what does the red color mean?"

Chihuaco stood on the bow of the boat and looked at the Honglin River flowing into the sea, but found no trace of red. Puap was uneasy and did not pay attention to the river and ancient city in front of him. Ti Carlo glanced at the two of them with a leisurely expression and said with a smile.

"This red color naturally refers to cinnabar! Captain Qi, there are many ancient gods and nobles buried in the second ancient city, and their bones must be covered with divine cinnabar. The upper reaches of this river are important The origin of cinnabar. The descendants of the gods in the Mayan states also have a common tradition of covering the corpse with cinnabar. It is said that the divinity in cinnabar can maintain the corpse for a long time and can also help the soul to go to the gods. boundary"

Speaking of this, Ti Carlo suddenly thought of something. He was in good spirits and preached again casually.

"Of course, the upper reaches of the Honglin River also produce some red stones, which are quite hard. Among these stones, there are occasionally black-gray flakes with cherry-red streaks, shining like a mirror, flowing up and down. In fact, our Mayan tribes call it mirror stone! As long as it is polished a little, it is a natural mirror, and it will also appear in the tombs of the gods."

"Mirror Stone?"

Upon hearing such a strange stone, Puap reacted instinctively. He looked at Ti Carlo and asked.

"Tikallo, my friend, do you have such a stone mirror?"

Tikalo smiled slightly when he heard Puap's affectionate address. After pondering for a moment, he fumbled for a shining black stone mirror from his arms and handed it to Puap.

"Puap, my friend, this precious stone mirror was passed down from our ancestors, I will give it to you!"

".Thanks."

Puap nodded in greeting, took the stone mirror, and looked at it over and over for a while. This mirror is obviously heavier and stronger than the obsidian mirror, and the light is clearer. To the rough touch, it feels very similar to the metal surface of bronze. The gray earth warrior opened his eyes wide, looked at himself in the mirror, who was somewhat haggard and had deep eye circles, and pursed his lips.

In the past two days, he gradually felt the horror of the curse, and he could not help but think of the night when the royal capital was destroyed and he dedicated the city. Every night when he fell asleep, he would dream of the scene when Chief Hummingbird was about to die, as well as the chief's severed head. That head that refused to rest in silence would always be chasing him in the dilapidated palace, yelling angrily.

"Little Puap! What are you going to do?!. I entrusted the prince to you, but you handed him over to the Aztecs? I actually misjudged you! The honor of loyalty of the Huitu family for generations has been destroyed today. It will be destroyed in your hands! P.A.P!”

"Puap!"

A shout came suddenly, making the Gray Earth Warrior tremble and almost drop the mirror in his hand. He turned his head and saw the suspicious eyes of the old militiaman.

"Ugh! Old man Qi, what are you yelling at? You just scared me!"

"Lao Pu, the boat is about to sail. The warriors of the temple are very alert, as vigilant as a lynx, and do not welcome visiting teams without the approval of the priests. This is their territory, and we will not stop here. We will go directly to the mouth of the river. , continue along the coast to the east, and then look for Mayan villages for supplies.”

Chihuaco patiently explained the situation. Then, he looked at Puap carefully and asked with concern.

"Lao Pu, what's going on with you lately? You're restless, just like an old turkey that doesn't nest. Your eyes are as blue as a turtle. Did you not sleep well?"

"Well, I'm fine. I just don't know what's going on. I keep thinking about the night when the royal capital was destroyed."

The haggard-looking Puap scratched his head, looked at the energetic Chihuaco, lowered his voice and asked softly.

"Lao Qi, have you ever dreamed about Chief Hummingbird?"

"Huh? Dreaming about him? Why?"

Chihuaco was confused. He looked at Puap strangely and said in a deep voice.

"That old bastard has been buried for several years. Your Majesty didn't treat him badly and gave him a big burial. Now I'm afraid all that's left is his bones. What are you thinking about?"

"Lao Qi, didn't you dream that Chief Hummingbird's head came to you for revenge? You cut it off with your own hands!"

"Ha?! He's seeking revenge on me? I'm seeking revenge on him! My mother-in-law is dead, my son is dead, my daughter is half-stupid, but it's all him! Ha!"

Chihuaco's heart surged with anger and hatred, and finally, somehow, he laughed again. He smiled, shook his head, and sighed.

"Hey! Forget it, I killed him and got my revenge. There's nothing to say. I'm settled now. Lao Pu, don't think nonsense. Take the warriors and be on guard! We'll be at the place of the Mayans soon. I feel a little uneasy, and I always feel like... Anyway, please pay more attention!"

"Um."

Puap nodded and lowered his head in silence. Yes, Chihuaco is not the chief hummingbird's family warrior, and he has not betrayed the opponent, the curse of the condor, so it cannot fall on him. After all the calculations, if the condor had a spirit, the one he would hate the most would not be himself!

"I am cursed and destined to die. Only the most revered blood of the Serpent God can undo the curse of the Eagle."

Puap pursed his lips and looked at Tikalo. The Mayan merchant also raised his head and smiled gently at him. Puap had a lot of things to ask in his heart, but there were so many people on the boat that he couldn't find the opportunity to speak. After a moment, the two of them looked away in tacit understanding, each with their own thoughts. Their fate is like a magnet, gradually approaching.

The sea is unpredictable and the tides are turbulent. Under the clear sunshine, the fleet left the second ancient city, the ruins of La Venta, and continued to explore eastward. Under the guidance of the Mayan merchants, they traveled two hundred and fifty miles eastward and arrived at a large Mayan village, Honghu Town.

The fleet docked at Honghu Town, and personnel were sent ashore to replenish water. They collected information around them and sold some gems in small quantities.

Honghu Town has about a few thousand people. There are several villages around it and there is a large trading market. It has no wooden gates and walls, so it cannot be called a city. However, it has a temple pyramid more than ten meters high, which is why it is called a town.

The name Red Lake comes from a huge lagoon east of the village and town, Red Lake (today’s Mecoacán Lake). The Red Lake is vast, with sparkling water, full of fish and birds, and is surrounded by large mangroves and swamps. This large lake is formed by a bay closed by a sandbar. So it is a pity that it is naturally a saltwater lake with low salt content, and it is difficult to cultivate farmland nearby.

The upper reaches of the Red Lake are connected to the river. The sandbar that closes the bay is formed by the erosion and accumulation of sediment carried by the large river upstream. The name of this big river, locally called the Red River (now Rio Seco River), is also named after the dense mangroves along the river.

"Oh! You said this red river, it's really amazing, it's so long!"

With a smile on his face, Tikalo stood on the bank and pointed to the southern reaches of the long river. There are deep stretches of rainforest, rising hills, and even the mountains of Chiapas.

"This long river goes all the way south for two thousand miles! In fact, it is not one river, but many rivers, many connected rivers! These rivers branch out into various tributaries, connecting all the Maya tribes in the southwest. Connected into a whole, a river basin blessed by the moon goddess! There is even a tributary that bypasses the edge of the mountain in the south and flows directly into another sea! "

"And this big river is not just a name. It flows through many Mayan tribes, villages, towns and city-states. Each city-state will give it a local name. So, you ask me, what is it? What kind of river is it? According to me, it is the river Ixchel, the moon goddess who controls floods, poured from the sacred bottle of Tiger Claw, the mother river of our Mayans!"

Listening to Ti Carlo's story, everyone in the fleet looked south. The long river flows down from the depths of the rainforest, bringing goods and canoes traded by various tribes upstream. Mayan merchants from various tribes spoke similar but different languages ​​and traded in the markets along the river.

The sharp-eyed mountain bird looked around for a while and saw the trading items used many times by the merchants, serving as "money". The most common ones are cocoa beans, cotton cloth, small jade stones and large bags of salt. Of course, there are also the gems in the lake that are gradually flowing to the world.

"The moon goddess who controls floods, the divine bottle with tiger claws?"

Hearing this description, Puap was a little curious. It sounds similar to Haratana, the traditional moon goddess of the Prepecha people. But when he asked more carefully, he understood that this was a deity like the Mother Earth.

"Oh! Ixichel, the moon goddess, is a great, respectable and terrifying mother goddess! She is in charge of the floods in the rainy season, and in charge of women's weaving and fertility. She has a poisonous snake on her head, and her hands and feet are all tiger claws. There is also a small bottle in the tiger's claws, which contains endless floods. As long as he is angry and pours out water, even the most powerful city, like the great city of Tikal, will perish!"

Tikalo recalled for a moment, his expression a little complicated. The natural disaster that the Maya tribes feared the most was floods. The rainfall in this rainforest is both abundant and erratic. It can even reach more than 2000mm a year, even for the second half of the month or even two months. Floods that flood from time to time can submerge rivers and lakes, repeatedly destroying farmland in various states and tribes, and are the biggest threat to the Mayan civilization.

"So, this powerful mother goddess is the third most powerful god among the Mayan gods, second only to the creator god, Hunab Ku; the sun serpent god, Itzamana! The creator god is at the top of the gods and does not communicate with the human world. In people's hearts, the serpent god and the moon goddess are the father god and the mother god!"

Tikalo raised his mouth and looked at the people who listened attentively. His eyes paused slightly on Puapu's face, and then quickly shifted away.

"In the southwestern Mayan tribes where the mother river flows, the moon mother goddess is the most important belief! Forty miles upstream of the long river is the ruins of the Mayan city in the golden age hundreds of years ago, Hoi Chan, the sky city with dark clouds! In the sky city, there used to be dozens of towering temples, hundreds of circular observatories, thousands of houses, and a large ball court for human sacrifices, and pottery kilns and workshops that stretched for miles!"

Tikalo's tone became louder, and his expression was full of yearning. The Hoi Chan Sky City he mentioned is the famous Comalcalco (now Comalcalco) ruins in later generations.

This ancient city was the most important commercial city in Tabasco during the Mayan Classic Golden Age between 600 and 1000 AD. The Sky City in the Classical Period was famous for its large-scale pottery production and had kiln pits of astonishing scale. The small human sculptures produced by the Sky City can be found in the temple ruins and noble tombs in the Mayan Central Lowlands throughout the Classical Period.

"The great Sky City worships the rain god Chac, the corn god Yum Kax, and the sky snake god Itsamna, but the one they worship most is Ixchel, the moon mother goddess who controls the flood!"

At this point, Ticarlo paused. He took a deep breath and was about to tell the key introduction. However, at this moment, Chihuaco frowned and interrupted.

"Tikalo, I remember you mentioned the Mayan feathered serpent god Kukulkan before. Why isn't he among the names worshipped in the Sky City?"

"Uh"

Tikalo touched his divine and erudite bald head, pursed his lips, and then said with a smile.

"Because in the classical era, the feathered serpent god Kukulkan did not exist yet."

"Ah? Didn't exist?!"

"Yes! The belief in the snake god has continued for thousands of years among the Mayan tribes. But the feathered serpent god definitely appeared and was named Kukulkan when the Toltec king Quetzalcoatl brought tens of thousands of warriors along the coast more than 500 years ago! With the support of some northern Mayan city-states, he launched the second kingdom's eastward expedition from the Mexican plateau after Teotihuacan's eastward expedition to Tikal 1,100 years ago!"

The Teotihuacan Kingdom's eastward expedition was around the fourth century AD. The Toltec Kingdom's eastward expedition was clearly recorded in the late tenth century AD. Both of these eastward expeditions established new kingdoms in the Mayan land, completely changing the political landscape of the Mayan tribes. The warlike Mexican tribes spread the cultural customs of the plateau to the Maya on a large scale, and also brought back a lot of Maya astronomy and calendar knowledge.

".The Toltecs eventually conquered the northern Maya, established the second Tula capital, Chichen Itza, in the northern lowlands, and built the Quetzalcoatl Temple, which is still immortal today. Since then, the belief in Quetzalcoatl has spread from the western Mexican plateau and coast to the eastern Maya!. The long-chronological stone tablet of the ancient city of the sky stopped at six or seven hundred years ago, so it is naturally impossible to worship Quetzalcoatl."

Tikalo smiled and told the story, showing a feather scale of the magnificent Maya epic. Then, he quickly speeded up his speech, without giving others the opportunity to ask questions, and talked about the sky city again.

"In the ancient city of the sky that believes in the Moon Mother Goddess, the blood of the descendants of the gods is the second most honorable Moon Water Goddess among all the Mayan tribes! And the most respected blood of all tribes is the descendants of the Sky Snake God inherited from the Father God!"

"Descendants of the Sky Snake God!"

Hearing this word that he had been thinking about day and night, Puapu was suddenly startled and cried out. He suppressed the excitement in his heart, coughed lightly, and asked carefully under the temptation of Ti Kalo.

"Hey! Where is that Sky Snake Goddess?"