Aztec (novel)
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Literature |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Founder | Gary Jennings |
| Products | Historical fiction novel |
Aztec is a historical fiction novel published in 1980 by American writer Gary Jennings. It serves as the initial installment in the Aztec series, succeeded by Aztec Autumn in 1997. Following Jennings' passing in 1999, four more novels—Aztec Blood (2002), Aztec Rage (2006), Aztec Fire (2008), and Aztec Revenge (2012)—were authored by different writers.
Plot
Set in 1529, Bishop Juan de Zumárraga of New Spain receives orders from King Carlos of Spain to collect detailed knowledge about native civilizations. To fulfill this mission, he recruits Chicóme-Xochitl Tliléctic Mixtli ("Seven-Flower Dark Cloud"), an elderly Mexica man, to recount his life story for documentation and transmission to the Spanish crown.
Born in 1466 on Xaltocan, Mixtli shares his experiences encompassing the customs, governance, and rituals of the Triple Alliance. His early life includes transporting a sunstone to Tenochtitlan and forging significant friendships during his schooling despite impaired vision. After completing his education, Mixtli becomes a scribe under Nezahualpíli, ruler of Texcóco, where he uncovers plots threatening his acquaintances.
During Ahuítzotl’s reign, Mixtli takes part in Flowery Wars aimed at capturing prisoners for sacrificial ceremonies. Later, he assumes the role of a pochtecatl (merchant), traveling widely and returning with precious goods. Personal calamities befall him when his sister Tzitzilíni suffers torture and his wife Zyanya vanishes amid a flood. The sacrifice of his daughter Cocóton by priests incites Mixtli to exact brutal revenge on the colonists.
Motecuzóma II commissions Mixtli to found a settlement in Michoacán, where he negotiates alliances with indigenous groups and ventures northward in search of the mythical Aztlan. Along this journey, he encounters Spanish castaways Gonzalo Guerrero and Jerónimo de Aguilar within Maya lands, revealing early interactions between Mexica and Europeans.
Spanish forces led by Hernán Cortés arrive in Totonac territory, utilizing interpreters such as Ce-Malináli (La Malinche). Motecuzóma’s hesitation enables Spanish progress despite internal treacheries. Following a failed massacre against the Spaniards, Motecuzóma is slain by Mixtli, who endorses Cuitláhuac’s succession. The ensuing siege devastates Tenochtitlan; survivors face disease and coerced rebuilding under colonial domination.
Eventually serving Cortés directly, Mixtli witnesses the execution of the final Mexica rulers, signaling the collapse of the Triple Alliance. In 1531, after completing his memoirs, Mixtli faces charges of heresy from the Bishop despite royal decrees granting him a pension. He accepts execution by immolation without resistance.
Historical accuracy
The narrative faithfully represents essential historical sites and occurrences connected to the Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire led by Hernán Cortés. Through the perspective of Dark Cloud, Jennings offers authentic depictions of historical personalities, frequently employing their original Nahuatl names. Prominent figures featured include Mexica rulers like Ahuizotl and Moctezuma II, Acolhua leader Nezahualpilli, interpreter La Malinche (Cé-Malinali), shipwrecked Spaniards Gerónimo de Aguilar and Gonzalo Guerrero, as well as Cortés and his men.
The narrator provides a critical examination of Spanish officials and Christianity while delivering comprehensive insights into Aztec religion, emphasizing deities such as Quetzalcoatl, Tlaloc, Huitzilopochtli, with particular focus on Ehecatl. The book does not shy away from portraying ritual human sacrifices and condemns Spanish duplicity in advocating Christianity while perpetrating violence against indigenous populations.
Reception
In his critique for Different Worlds magazine, Ernest Hogan highlighted Aztec as a richly woven narrative filled with diverse characters, intricate conflicts, and a series of plots and counterplots. He emphasized that the story captivates readers from Mixtli's birth through to the catastrophic arrival of the Spaniards that leads to the downfall of his civilization.
Reviews
- Evaluation by Thomas M. Disch (1982) featured in Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone Magazine, June 1982