Chapter 698: The Migration of the Snake Lake Tribe
"O people of the hot land, you are wandering on the earth, like fallen leaves in the wind, falling to an unknown destination. O Quetzalcoatl, you illuminate the bright road ahead. The long migration road is full of rocks and thorns..."
Priest Papu told the story of the terror in the north, and the Chuchut leader made a decision, and the Snake Lake tribe immediately began to migrate. This migration was so hurried, but without much hesitation, just like their ancestors. In the inheritance
In the epic, the ancestors of the tribe came from the extremely far north, traveling all the way from the desolate Gobi. But now, it is another migration to the hot land of the south.
In fact, the meaning of "Totonac" is "hot land". "Totonac people" are "people of hot land".
Time was tight, and there were shouts and rushes everywhere. The young men wore loincloths and were bare-chested, carrying baskets of grain on their backs. The women wore veiled robes and skirts, lowered their heads, carrying cloth and pottery. The leader Chuchu Te
He personally commanded several strong men to carry the dead wood that symbolized the tribe's heritage.
As for the old people abandoned by the tribe, they stayed in the soon-to-be-empty village, looking at the lush farmland, waiting for a short and unknown fate. They sat cross-legged on the earth altar outside the village, beating ancient leather drums and singing
Singing the songs of the gods, we bid farewell to those who have left and never come back.
"The high God of the Sun, guide the way south, toward her scorching light, looking for fertile soil for sowing corn. The God of Thunder in the old days, controlled the endless East China Sea, remember to walk along the coast, there will be food and water.
O rain-god of the new sun, who brings forth terrible hurricanes, do not travel in the season of her wrath to avoid the sweeping floods..."
The old song echoed in the fields and reached the ears of priest Papu, making him stop and look back.
In the traditional polytheistic beliefs of the Totonac people, in addition to the prosperous Quetzalcoatl, there is also the Sun God who controls sunlight crops, the old Thunder God who controls endless waters, and the New Sun God of Rain who controls hurricanes and heavy rains. Their
The Nahua faith has many similarities with the Mexica people on the plateau, but also has more unique gods.
"Headman Chuchut brought so many things with him and migrated so slowly..."
Priest Papu frowned, looking past the low huts made of palm leaves and branches to the quiet green jungle in the north, feeling worried.
"How can we outrun the Aztec army heading south?"
"Without food, we can't survive the autumn harvest. Without cotton cloth and pottery, we can't get help from other tribes. And without the inherited wood, how can I lead the tribe in the name of my ancestors?"
After hearing what Priest Papu said, the leader Chuchute shook his head, with some disapproval in his eyes. Although he listened to Priest Papu's advice and decided to move his family, he still felt lucky in his heart and did not think that the Aztecs
The army will hit here so quickly.
"What's more, there is also the powerful Cempoalli and the Nishui City tribe with more than 20,000 tribes, blocking our north!"
"The powerful Qinbo Ali, the Nishui City Department with two to three thousand warriors..."
Upon hearing this, Priest Papu's face froze, and there was some hesitation in his heart. In the Nahua language, the meaning of "cempoal" is "twenty". "Cempoalli" (cempoalli),
It is the "Land of Twenty Waters", a rich city-state with many canals and lakes, the City of Twenty Waters.
Nishui City is located sixty or seventy miles south of the ancient city of Quetzalcoatl. It is a truly ancient city-state. It was established at the end of the Olmec era and the early part of the Teotihuacan era, and has a history of more than 1,500 years. It is said that Teotihuacan
When the kings of Tihuacan conquered the Maya eastward, they left a tablet describing the blood sacrifice of 600 captives in Nishui City to worship the gods of the past.
This ancient city is located inland on the coastal plain, close to the Aktopan (a) River, and more than ten miles away from the coastline. When Priest Pap went south, he hurriedly paddled a boat to escape, and did not see the Nishui City.
situation.
"When guarding the ancient city of Quetzalcoatl, Nishui City sent out more than 700 warriors. Later, they were completely defeated by the Aztecs, with a lot of casualties. Nishui City, like many coastal city-states, has no city walls..."
Priest Pappu was worried and looked at the leader Chuchut.
"Chuchut, you have never seen the power of the Aztec Legion... In front of the thundering copper beasts and burning rockets, the Nishui City Department may not be able to resist for a few days!"
"Priest Papu, the Nishui City Tribe is a large tribe of 20,000 people! Even if hundreds of warriors are killed, they can still pull out 3,000 or 4,000 militiamen. Although this city-state has no city walls, it has many small fortress-like temples.
Those temples are located on the top of the pyramid more than ten meters high. They are all built with bricks and stones, and are bonded with mortar burned from snails and shells. They are extremely strong! Even if you try your best and poke with a stone spear, you cannot damage the stone temple.
The stone temple is not afraid of fire at all, not to mention it is raining now..."
The corners of Chuchute's lips raised, recalling what he had experienced, and he was convinced of the solidity of Nishui City. Such a powerful city-state, no matter how bad it was, could still withstand it for several days.
"It only takes us two or three days to go to Jinwan City along the river and through the jungle. Counting the days when you go south, the Nishui City Department will not be able to survive for three or four days, right?"
"Yeah... Indeed! If it's three or four days, the Nishui City Department should be able to hold on."
Priest Pap thought for a while and nodded reluctantly. He stopped urging and just watched the migration of the Snake Lake tribe quietly. A trace of hidden worry lingered in his heart, but he could not distinguish it clearly.
"Qinbo Ali... the Nishui City Tribe... was one of the first Totonac tribes to surrender to the Mexica Alliance and pay tribute. It was the 'account place' of the Mexica Alliance, and the alliance's troops were stationed there.
Envoys, collect taxes and tributes from the vassal tribes of Totonac... There are envoys from the Mexica... It is unlikely that something will happen, right?"
Priest Papu pursed his lips and thought for a long time, anger welling up in his chest.
"The western tribes of Totonac paid tribute to the Mexica Alliance for more than ten years! As a result, they were conquered by the Legion in the Lake for possible crimes and massacred the gods and priests! From now on, the Aztecs
All the tribes in the world will know about their tiger and wolf heart! The nobles of Totonac can only unite and resist to the end... The Mixtec and Zapotec tribes further south will also establish an alliance.
..."
The feathered serpent priest's thoughts were busy in the continuous drizzle, but fell into the moist fertile soil, and no real stream could be seen. He sighed, stretched out his hand, and helped the leader Chuchute to work together and direct the tribe to migrate.
.
Night shrouded the earth, and torches were lit outside the village. The tribesmen were busy for most of the day before they were ready. The tribesmen finally rested in the village for a day, and the crying and shouting never stopped. In the early morning of the next day, two
The tribe of more than a thousand people set foot on the migrating dirt road in the forest. From early morning to dusk, the tribe only walked more than ten miles. At night, the tribe found a flat land by the river and lit a bonfire.
Soon, the desolate Totonac song sounded again by the river. This is a unique language. Although it has begun to blend with the Nahua language, it still retains the ups and downs of the distant plateau.
"...The Sun God sat on a high tree, watching the people on the hot land wandering on the barren land... She looked at the Totonak people for a long time, and then gave an order generously...'
You, the people of the hot land, can rest under the shade of the trees and hide from My most majestic light. But you must close your eyes, go around the trees, and dance a sacrificial dance of prayer to Me'..."
"'Ah, the supreme Sun God! Thank you!...' The ancestors bent down and saluted the Sun God. They did not dare to step forward. They did not know how to dance around the tree with their eyes closed. They also did not dare
They retreated and did not dare to disobey the will of the gods. They thought, how can they have both?..."
"'I'm coming!' The wise heroic chief stepped forward. He lowered his head, tied a long rope around his waist, jumped up, and tied the rope to the tree. The sun god's blazing eyes stared down, but the chief
He closed his eyes and stood upside down from the tree. He just closed his eyes and stood upside down, wrapping the rope around the tree, spinning and dancing in the air, like a brave and agile mountain eagle!..."
The desolate and cheerful songs, with unconcealed sadness, were sung outside the moonlight and woods. The tribesmen listened to the songs and ate boiled dried pumpkins with dark and depressed expressions.
Priest Papu gnawed on the precious corn tortillas, and his brows jumped as he listened. This ancient song also tells the story of the migration of the Totonak ancestors. And along with the story passed down, there is another thing about the Totonak people.
This sacrificial custom has been passed down to later generations. It is like an eagle hunting, a "flying trapeze dance".
"Cuchute! This singer really makes me panic! The migration of the heroic chief was tested by various gods, and he died along the way... Go and ask the singer to stop, it affects morale too much!"
The leader Chu Chute raised his brows, thought for a moment, and whispered a few instructions to his guards. The guards left in a hurry. After a while, the singing stopped, and the camp became dead silent.
Priest Papu frowned, looked around at the resting Snake Lake tribe, and sighed. He sat in front of the campfire, his mouth blistered in anxiety, and spoke in a low voice.
"Chief Chuchute, we are walking too slowly! There are so many debris in big and small baskets, can't we leave some behind?"
"Priest Papu, the tribe hasn't migrated in many years... Today we have to hurry up and move slowly. We are not walking very slowly."
The leader Chu Chute shook his head, helpless and refused.
"These things I took away are all necessary for the reconstruction of the tribe. The Aztecs did not show up, so I forcibly took the tribe and left the fields and villages to migrate. I have exhausted my prestige. If I let the tribesmen lose it again,
If you leave money behind, the soldiers will stand up and oppose it!"
"If we wait until the Aztec army appears, it will be too late!"
Hearing this, Priest Pappu gritted his teeth and showed anger on his face.
"Chuchute! When the time comes, both you as the leader and I as the priest will be dead!"
"...Pap, I believe what you said. I also want to walk faster to avoid the brutal Aztecs..."
Chu Chute was silent for a moment before answering in a low voice.
"However, the soldiers didn't think so. They felt that...compared with the terrifying long migration, being under the hands of the Aztecs might not be so bad...and forcing them..."
"hiss!"
Pappu took a deep breath, his expression changing. After a while, he slowly lowered his head.
"Yes. What you said makes sense. Tomorrow I will hold a short prayer ceremony to show Quetzalcoatl's oracle...tell the truth about the Aztecs' collusion with demons..."
The night gradually fell into silence, and the bonfires flickered on and off, swaying with changing shadows, until the dawn came. A short prayer ceremony was held on the beach by the river.
Priest Pap put on his feather crown and danced to communicate with the gods under the awe-inspiring eyes of everyone. However, before he had time to tell the new oracle, several patrolling scouts came in a hurry, covered in sweat.
They brought back a wretched-looking divine noble, and two terrible latest news.
"Yesterday, the Nishui City tribe with more than 20,000 people surrendered to the terrifying Aztecs... no, the powerful Mexica Legion!"
"This morning, the red-haired barbarian's scout team appeared in the mountains and forests several miles away in the north. They and the scout hunters behind the palace looked at each other across the river for a long time! The migration of our tribe must have been discovered by them!"
