The Children of Huitzilopochtli
An Aztec EU3 AAR
Introduction
The year is 1453, visions of ravagers from afar, their hair ablaze with the color of the sun, have engulfed the court of Moctezuma Ilhuicamina, the fifth Aztec emperor. If the Children of Huitzilopochtli are to survive the coming apocalypse, they will have to choose a different destiny than that which Painal, the messenger of the god of war and death, of warriors and storms, had prescribed to them. Their story, and how they met the Old World head on, is told through the eyes of Malik, an advisor to the Emprerors.
Settings
1453 Start Year
1.1 Patch
Hard
Gameplay Notes:
- Tech Modifier - given that the "Convert to Christianity" event doesnt seem to fire, there can be no advancement of civilization for any New World nation beyond the .1 tech... which makes no sense. As such, 50 years after first contact, the tech modifier will be raised to .15 (and raised again at 100 years to .20 and 150 years to .25). At a maximum, the modifier will be 25% of the Latin tech 150 years after first contact, which is not that unreasonable. To balance this, with at least 1 Euopean contact, a relationship of 150+ must be maintained (to represent having a friend and all).
[Edit: There is a way to have a pagan culture convert to christianity, and this may occur anytime after 150 years of first contact if an eligible prince is available to be sent to Europe to study the ways of the Men of the Bloodied Cross - see the the following Gameplay Note]- Leader Death and Stability - Because the Aztecs had a vastly different view about death and the afterlife than Europeans (hence all that sacrificing), there will be no stability penalty if a leader dies. Because this is a warrior culture, all rulers are expected to serve their time as generals, which makes them very vulnerable, as opposed to the European leaders who hide on their thrones...
- Building Boats - If I can figure out how to do it, 100 years after first contact the Aztecs will gain the ability to make boats.
[Edit: this has been changed - see the the following Gameplay Note]- The broken "cant advance past tribal government" will be fixed - see the the following Gameplay Note]
Goal
The subjugation of the Americas under one banner - uniting the native sons and daughters of the Americas and protecting them from the European scourge. If a flag is planted in the Americas, and it can be burnt to the ground, it will be.
Note
This will be a history of the peoples of the Aztec Empires from 1453 onward, as seen in their own eyes and how they lived. As such, it wont be the politically correct version that many learned while in their youth. The Aztec civilization practiced many activities that today would be considered abhorant - my goal will be to present them in a tasteful manner, but one that is consistent with history and within the contexts of the game.
Table of Contents
PrologueItzcóatl (April 21 1427 - August 14 1440)Moctezuma Ilhuicamina (August 14 1440 - May 21 1461)
Regency Council (May 21 1461 - October 13, 1461)
Moctezuma II (October 13, 1461 - June 10, 1474)
Regency Council (June 10, 1474 - June 13, 1476)
Auítzotl (June 13, 1476 - February 4, 1478)
Regency Council (February 4, 1478 - February 8, 1480)
Moctezuma III (February 8, 1480 - May 22, 1481)
Moctezuma IV (May 22, 1481 - August 5, 1488)
Cuitláhuac (August 5, 1488 - January 5, 1495)
Moctezuma V (January 5, 1495 - October 25, 1516)
Cuauhtémoc (October 25, 1516 - September 23, 1540)
Auítzotl II (September 23, 1540 - June 15, 1543)
Axayacatl (June 15, 1543 - April 17, 1558)
Regency Council (April 17, 1558 - May 27, 1558)
Itzcóatl II (May 27, 1558 - February 6, 1570)
Moctezuma VI (February 6, 1570 - October 1, 1592)
Cuitláhuac II (October 1, 1592 - October 6, 1596)
Regency Council (October 6, 1596 - September 14, 1597)
Motelchiuh (September 14, 1597 - July 19, 1615)
Axayacatl II (July 19, 1615 - December 1, 1621)
Regency Council (December 1, 1621 - April 13, 1623)
Cuitláhuac III (April 13, 1623 - May 3, 1630)
Auítzotl III (May 3, 1630 - December 28, 1631)
Tizoc (December 28, 1631 - April 6, 1642)
Tizoc II (April 6, 1642 - November 11, 1651)
Motelchiuh II (November 11, 1651 - October 3, 1672)
Dramatis Personae
AztecsDieites
Acamapichtli – succeeded Tenoch as Hueyi Tlatoani - an astute politician who strengthened his position more by alliances with his neighbors than by wars
Ahcambal Ezhuahuacatl – the first “Aztec Emperor” (more on this entry later on)
Auítzotl III – beatified by Pope Marcellus in 1630 (more on this entry later on)
Cham Balam – philosopher who served in Moctezuma’s Royal Council
Chsaaxcejl – statesman who served in Moctezuma’s Royal Council and who was the voice of reason and often opposed Quetzalmantzin
Coszcatl – the only daughter of Itzcóatl, she was blessed with the ability of foresight and was inducted as a Priestess of Mixcoatl-Camaxtli. Her visions foretold the coming of Malik and of the Men of the Bloodied Cross
Itzcóatl – the fourth Hueyi Tlatoani - ordered the burning of all historical codices because it was "not wise that all the people should know the paintings” – this allowed a state-sanctioned history and mythos to be developed that venerated Huitzilopochtli
Malik - A Moorish thief who manages to find his way to the shores of Tarasco and becomes a Chief Advisor to the Aztec Emperors
Moctezuma Ilhuicamina – Ruled until 1461, presided over the Zapotec/Mayan war… regarded by historians to be the greatest of the Hueyi Tlatoani … also known as Moctezuma the Great
Nauyotl – an administrative colonial governor who served in Moctezuma’s Royal Council and who advocated expansion into enemy territory
Quetzalmantzin Acatlotzin – the great Tlatoanian General who commanded the Jaguar Warriors during the Zapotec/Mayan war.. also known as the Obsidian Blood Butcher
Tenoch – the first Hueyi Tlatoani who established the oligarchial state mechanism to elect a leader – the Calpulli
Yayauhqui – the High Priest of the Temple of Huitzilopochtli – later known as the Blood Temple
Europeans
Ahuitzotl - a legendary creature of Aztec mythology which was half human and half monkey with a hand protruding from the end of its tail
Huitzilopochtli - the national god of the Aztecs - in addition to being the god of war and the sun, he was also a god of death, young men, warriors, storms, and a guide for journeys
Ilamatecuhtli – goddess who created the stars along with her husband, Citlalatonac – her roar signals war
Mixcoatl-Camaxtli – the god of hunting, war, fate and fire
Nahual – a shapeshifter, either a sorcerer or a witch
Paynal / Painal - impersonator and messenger god of Huitzilopochtli who took on his master's attributes at official functions while the big guy was trapped in the underworld or otherwise unavailable
Quetzalcoatl - mythical cultural hero from whom all peoples descend from
Teoyaomicqui – god of dead warriors
Tezcatlipoca – god of night, the north, the earth, obsidian, enmity, discord, rulership, divination, temptation, sorcery, beauty, war and strife
Xipe Totec – god of was life-death-rebirth, god of agriculture, the west, disease, spring, goldsmiths and the seasons
Xolotl - the god of lightning and a skeleton, a dog-headed man or a monster animal with reversed feet who guided the dead on their journey to the afterlife
Natives of the Americas
Baltazar Fernandes – a Portuguese naturalist and explorer who was one of the first Europeans to traverse the former lands of the Mayans and Zapotecs into the Forbidden City of Tenochtitlān. His 1635 publication of “As terras do Aztecatl” brought the term “Aztec” into the lexicon of European society
Pope Marcellus – mid 17th century Papal leader who crowned, and gave Papal Blessing to, Ahcambal Ezhuahuacatl as the “Aztec Emperor” during Ahcambal’s triumphant visit to Rome in 1680 to mark the beatification of Auítzotl III, on the fiftieth anniversary of his death
Miscellaneous
Ah Xiu – High Chief of the Mayans
Zaachilla – High Chief of the Zapotecs
Note: In many cases, the above information actually took place and has been cribbed from many sources, most notably Wiki...
As-Salih Ayyub – the Ayyubid ruler of Egypt who joined with the Khwarezmians in their sacking of Jerusalem
Aztecs – first used by Baltazar Fernandes in his 1635 publication of “As terras do Aztecatl”… used by Pope Marcellus in 1680 when who crowning and giving Papal Blessing to Ahcambal Ezhuahuacatl
Calpulli – elite group who were the oligarchial power of the Tlatoanians – also referred to as the Council of Elders
Hall of Warriors – where the Emperor holds council with the Calpulli and the Royal Council
Hueyi Tlatoani – the title given to the titular head of the Tlatoanians – also referred to as the Great Speaker
Khwarezm – a series of states that occupied the area west of the Holy Lands up to the gates of the Indian sub-continent, and from the Aral Sea to the Persian Gulf. Also known also as Chorasmia, Khwarezmia, Khwarizm, Khwarazm, Khorezm, Khoresm, Khorasam, and Chorezm
Knights of Jerusalem – … three brothers of the Order commissioned Malik to find and steal the Chalice of Christ, as it was within the Khwarezmian held walls of Jerusalem
Raimela of Aquitania – author of Transitus Jamapa - 1750 analytical tome in regards to Moctezuma and his decision to engage in a war of conquest against the Zapotec/Mayan alliance
Royal Council – three permanent great men who were chosen to be advisors to the Emperor – also referred to as Tlatocan
The Chalice of Christ – the cup used by Jesus of Nazareth at the Last Supper. It was originally entrusted to Joseph of Arimathea, who used the cup to catch Christ’s blood as the prophet hung upon the cross
The Men of the Bloodied Cross – from the visions of Coszcatl, the name given to the invaders who would destroy the Tlatoanian way of life
Tlatoainians – the name used prior to 1630 to define the Children of Huitzilopochtli
Tsin Zhou – Chinese admiral who explored the Eastern (Pacific) Ocean and who Malik met during his travels along the fabled caravan route from Antioch to Guangzhou
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. I shall look forward to this starting in earnest.
