Somos en escrito
The Latino Literary Online Magazine
Fragments of Tales
and the Bonemeal of Humankind
Two excerpts from
Feathered Serpent
Dark Heart Of Sky
Myths of Mexico
By David Bowles
Introduction
Five hundred years ago, Mexico was quite different. The Triple Alliance of Anahuac—what we now call the Aztec Empire—dominated an area that stretched fromtheGulfofMexicotothePacificcoast.Arrayedallaroundthemweredozens ofothernations:theMaya,thePurepecha,Zapotecs,Yaqui,Huichol,Huastec,and Tarahumara,amongmanyothers.Allofthesepeopleshaddifferentlanguages,gods, andtraditions.Overthecenturies,though,migration,tradeandconflicthadspread certain common cultural traitswidely.
TwentymillionpeoplelivedinthislandwhentheSpanisharrivedin1519.But theconquistadoreswerenotinterestedintheculturalrichnessofMexico.Intheir single-mindedhungerforgloryandgold,intheirzealousdrivetoseethe“Indians” kneeltotheChristiangod,theSpanishsweptacrossthelandscapewiththeirsteel swords,theirguns,theirarmoredhorses.Theyalsobroughtwiththemdiseasesthat devastated the indigenouspopulation.
It was genocide. Seventy-five years later, only one million people remained.
Most of these survivors converted to Catholicism. Many blended with the Spanish colonistswhocametooccupylandsemptiedbyconquest.Thatfusionofracesand ethnicitiesiscalledmestizaje.Intime,acastesystemwascreatedtocarefullyseparate thisnewhybridpopulationintospecialgroups.Spaniards—boththoseborninSpain, peninsulares,andthoseborninMexico,criollos—hadthegreatestrightsandprivileges. BelowthemotherswererankedbyhowmuchSpanishbloodranthroughtheirveins: castizos(75%,with25%indigenous),moriscos(75%,with25%black),mestizos(50%, with50%indigenous),mulattoes(50%,with50%black).Pureindigenousandblack individualswereattheverybottomofthissocialhierarchy.
As a result of this caste system, the sort of life a person had wasessentially determinedbythenumberofSpanishancestorstheylaidclaimto.Lightskinand eyes,Europeanfeatures—suchattributesbroughtadvancementandopportunity.As aresult,thosewhowereproductsofmestizajeoftenturnedawayfromtheirown nativeheritageandsoughttobemoreliketheSpanishconquerors,evenoppressing peoplewithlessSpanishbloodthantheyhad.
EvenafterthecastesystembrokedownandMexicowonitsindependencefrom Spain,tracesofthisoldprejudicestubbornlysurvived.AfledglingMexicanidentity was arising, however. The late 19th century saw a renewed interest in thepre- Colombiangloriesofthenation.Butmuchhadbeenlost.Thefewtraditionsthat survivedweredilutedandfractured.Andsotheyhaveremained,evendowntomy owngeneration.
BythetimemygrandfatherManuelGarzawasborn,hisfamily’sindigenous past had been wiped away. They were Spanish-speaking Mexicans, then Mexican- AmericanTexans,heirstotraditionsfromacrossthesea.Ranchesandcattlewerethe lifebloodoftheircommunityinnorthernMexicoanddeepSouthTexas.
TheirnorteñomusicandweeklymasswerealsoEuropean,ifflavoredwithnative spice.Oneoftheworstinsultswasindio.Everyonesworetheirancestorswerepure Spanish.
Eventhoughthestoriesmygrandparents,auntsandunclestoldmewhenIwas childwerethickwithlocallore—strangeboogeymenandwailingwomen—notrace remainedoftheoldgods,theancientpriests,thevauntedheroesofMexico’spre- Colombianpast.
Inschool,Iwastaught—likemyfather—themythsoftheNorse,theEgyptians, theRomans,andespeciallytheGreeks.IdevouredtheOdyssey,hungryforthose Bronze-Agesensibilities,thatinterweavingofhumananddivine.OnmyownIread othergreatepicsofWesternmythology:theIliad,theAeneid.Iwidenedmynet, plungedintoIndiaanditsRamayana,soughtouttheSunjataofWestAfrica.
Butitwasn’tuntilItookaworldliteratureclassincollegethatIreadasingleAztec orMayamyth.Amazing.IhadattendedschoolsjustmilesfromtheMexicanborder, butnotoneofmyteachershadspokenofQuetzalcoatlorItzamna,ofCihuacoatlor Ixchel.MyfamilyalsoknewnothingoftheseMesocamericangods.
SomethingimportanthadbeenkeptfrommeandotherMexican-American students.AtfirstIwasshockedandabitangry.YetwhocouldIblameforfive centuriesofsyncretismanderasure?RatherthanlashoutinresponsetothelossIfelt, IbegantoscourthelocallibrariesforeverybookIcouldfindaboutpre-Colombian Mexicanmyths.Intheend,Irealized,itwasmyresponsibility—knowingofthislack onmypart—toreconnectwiththatforgottenpast.
Thatdutytothehistoryofone’speoplehasneverbeenbetterexpressedthanin oneofthefewremainingpoemsoftheMaya,fromthecolonial-eramanuscriptSongs ofDzitbalché:
It’s vital we never lose count
Of how many long generations
Have passed since the faraway age
When here in this land lived
Great and powerful men
Who lifted the walls of those cities—
The ancient, awesome ruins,
Pyramids rising like hills.
We try to determine their meaning
Here in our humbler towns,
A meaning that matters today,
One we draw from the signs
Those men of the Golden Age—
Men of this land, our forefathers—
Urged us to seek in the sky.
Consecrated to this task,
We turn our faces upward
As darkness slowly falls
From zenith to horizon
And fills the sky with stars
In which we scry our fate.
It’s vital we never lose count
Of how many long generations
Have passed since the faraway age
When here in this land lived
Great and powerful men
Who lifted the walls of those cities—
The ancient, awesome ruins,
Pyramids rising like hills.
We try to determine their meaning
Here in our humbler towns,
A meaning that matters today,
One we draw from the signs
Those men of the Golden Age—
Men of this land, our forefathers—
Urged us to seek in the sky.
Consecrated to this task,
We turn our faces upward
As darkness slowly falls
From zenith to horizon
And fills the sky with stars
In which we scry our fate.
I found quite a lot of meaning in those scattered myths. They helped me through some very dark moments in my life. In time I became a school teacher, then a university professor. Though no standards required it, I did my best to share the heritage I had rediscovered with my students. My passion for our lost past drove me even further: I began to study Mayan and Nahuatl, wanting to decipher the original indigenous texts myself without the filter of a translator’s voice.
Thedifficultywasthatsomuchhadbeendestroyed.TheConquestnotonlydecimated the native population of Mexico. It also eviscerated their literature, their history. Conqueringsoldiersandzealouspriestshadburnedmanyoftheindigenousmanuscripts, andconvertednativemindsshruggedofftheloreofmillennia.ThoughsomeSpaniards andmestizossoughttopreservewhattheycouldofthevenerableoldwords,setting downsongsandsayingsusingtheforeignalphabet,thedamagehadbeendone.
Today,wecannotjustpickuptheindigenousequivalentoftheOdysseyand readit—beyondthePopolVuh,aQuichéMayatextfromGuatemala,nosuchwork hassurvivedinMesoamerica.Whatwehavearestoriesandfragmentsofstories, preservedpiecemealacrossmultiplecodicesandcolonialhistoriesorpasseddown word-of-mouthforcenturiesinremotecommunities.
Asaresult,theworkofachroniclerorteacherismadeverydifficult:wehave no cohesive narrative of Mexico’s mythic identity, no mythological history to rival otherclassicalepics.AsIponderedthedilemma,Isawaneedforanexcitingfusion ofthedifferentstories,onethatcouldmakeMesoamericanmythologycomealivefor aWesternaudiencethewayWilliamBuck’sabridgedtakeontheRamayanadidfor Hinduepics,onethatemploysengaging,accessible,yettimelesslanguage,muchlike RobertFagles’translationsoftheIliad,OdysseyandAeneid.
So I set out to write the book you hold in your hands.
Ofcourse,Iamhardlythefirsttoretellthesetales.ThecollectionsIfoundasa collegefreshmanindifferentborderlibrariesexistedbecauseofwonderfulscholars and authors who gathered together written and orally transmitted myths and legends.Whatmakesthepresentvolumedifferentisthat—insteadoftellingthetales separately,discretely—Icraftasinglechronologicalnarrative.
Drawingfromavarietyofsources(especiallyNahuatlandMayatextssuchas thePopolVuh,CantaresMexicanos,theCodexChimalpopoca,PrimerosMemorialesand theFlorentineCodex),thisfreshtakeblursthelinebetweenthelegendaryandthe historical. My intent has been to stitch together myths and legends, organizing the talessothattheytracethemythicpastofMesoamericafromthecreationoftheworld tothearrivaloftheSpanish.
As a Mexican-American author and translator, I see myself as one of many transmittersoftraditiondownthegenerations.Myrenditionstreatthesestories withrespectandintimacy,asthoughtheydepictactualevents.Becauseofthestateof theexistinglore,however,IhaveusedseveraldifferenttechniquestocreateEnglish- languageversions.Afewofthepiecesaresimplytranslatedwithsomeeditorial adjustments to fit the larger narrative. Others are looser adaptations of myths and legendswithsomepartialtranslation.Manyarestraight-upretellings,oftenoforally transmittedstories.
Quiteafewofthemythsarethemselvessynthesesofmultiplesources,interwoven into a coherent narrative that I have quilted into the chronological sequenceof thebookitself.Forthemostpart,Ihavesynthesizedseveraltextstogetherfrom asingleculturaltradition.Afewtimes,however,IhaveblendedMayaandAztec cosmovisionswherevertheiroverlapsuggestedanolderMesoamericanmythology fromwhichbothmayhavedrawn.Insuchinstances,Iamnottryingtoerasethe distinctivenessofthetwoverydifferentcultures,buttoreflectthehybridmestizaje thathaslongbeenacharacteristicoftheMexicanidentity.
Ihaveprovidednotesonmysourcesandacomprehensivebibliography.My hopeisthatreaderswillbecomeintriguedorexcitedbythemythologicalhistoryI havewovenandfeelcompelledtodiveintotheoriginaltextsasIoncedid,seekingto findsomepartofmyselfreflectedinthoseancient,enduringwords.
David Bowles
David Bowles
August 22, 2016
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Armando Rendón. Feathered Serpent Head From Teotihuacan. 2018. Photograph. Exhibit at de Young Museum, San Francisco |
The Creation of Human Beings
TheFourthAgehadcometoanend.Thegods,saddenedatthedestructionofthe earth, gathered inTeotihuacan.
“The sea-ringed world emerges. The heavens have been restored. But whowill singussongs?Whowillworshipus?Whowillkeepthecosmicwheelsturning?”
FeatheredSerpentturnedtotheDivineMother.“Wemustoncemorestriveto makehumanbeings.Letthisnewattemptcombineallthestrengthsoftheprevious.”
“Todoso,”shetoldhim,“wewillneedthebonesofthosewhohavedied.” Hurricanesmiled.“Brother,ifyouwantthem,youwillhavetodescendtothe
LandoftheDeadandpetitionthekingandqueenofthatfelldemesne.” “Sobeit,”FeatheredSerpentdeclared,departing.
HecametotheriverattheedgeoftheUnderworld,whichthedeadcanonlycross onthebackofahound.Twinninghimselfsothathisnahuallistoodbeforehim,he addressedthathairlessspiritdog:
“Xolotl,doubleofmyheart,bearmeacrossbroadApanohuayansothatonits farthershoreImayseekthebonesofthedead.”
“Gladly,myplumedmaster.Seizethefoldsoffleshuponmyback,andIwillswim you to yourdestination.”
Andsoalldogsburiedwiththeirownersforthispurposearecalledxoloitzcuintle tohonorthenahualliofFeatheredSerpent.
WithXolotl’said,thecreatorgodeasilynavigatedthenexteightobstaclesand stoodbeforetheKingandQueenofDeathintheireldritch,windowlesspalaceatthe heart of theUnderworld.
“Whatbringsyoutoourrealmnow,aftersomanyyears,OFeatheredSerpent?” askedtheking,hiseyeslikepinpricksoffireintheblackorbsofhisskull,framed by his owl-plume headdress. The god’s tilma and breechcloth were spattered with blood, and round his neck he wore a chain of human eyeballs.
“Iamcometotakethepreciousbonesthatyouhaveguardedwithsuchdiligence.” “Andwhatwillyoudowiththem,LordCreator?”askedthequeen.
“The gods in Tamoanchan need humans to ease their sadness. With these remains,Iwillfashionanewraceofmenandwomentopraiseandhonorus.They willbemortal,sotheirboneswillreturntoyourhands,aswillthebonesoftheir childrenandtheirchildren’schildren,foraslongasthisFifthAgeshalllast.”
“Verywell,”repliedtheking.“First,however,asasignofhonor,takethismy conchandtravelfourtimesroundmyrealm,soundinganexultantcallasyougo.”
FeatheredSerpentagreed,butashepreparedtosoundtheshelltrumpet,he realized the conch had no hole for blowing. Summoning worms, he had them burrowinattheapexofthespireandsmoothitshollowinterior.Thenhehadbees andhornetsflyinside,addingtheirdistinctivebuzztotheairhesentrushingthrough thewhorlsoftheconch.Theresultingcallcouldbeheardineverycornerofthe Underworld,evenintheverythroneroomofLordandLadyDeath.
AfterhisfourthcircuitoftheLandoftheDead,FeatheredSerpentmadehisway backtoitscenterandstoodoncemorebeforethesovereignsofthatrealm.
“Very well, take the bones,” growled the King of Death.
Once Feathered Serpent had departed the palace to collect the bones,however, theskeletalgodcalledtogetherhiscouncil,thelordsofthatfrightfulrealm.
“Goafterthatplumedsnake,myvassals,andtellhimthatIhavechangedmy mind.Hemustleaveatoncewithoutthebones.”
The ghastly messengers caught up to the creator god and repeated their sovereign’s command.
FeatheredSerpentreluctantlyagreed.“Iwillleavethen.Tellyourkingandqueen.”
Thelordsofthenetherworldwatchedhimflyoff,headingoutoftheLandof theDeadbytheeasternroutethesunoncetooktoemergeatdawneachday.They themselvestraveledbacktotheeeriecastletoinformtheirmasters.
Buttheyweredeceived.WhenFeatheredSerpenthadheardinhisheartthe commandoftheKingofDeath,hehadtoldXolotl:
“Imusttakethesebones,forever.Ineedyoutochangeshapeswithme.Having assumedmyform,youwillagreetotheking’swishes.Onceyouandthemessengers havegone,Iwillstealtheremainsandflee.”
Soitwasthatheemergedfromaplaceofhidingintheformofhisnahualli, gatheredthebonesofmenandwomen,wrappedtheminabundle,thenrushedlike the wind to avoiddetection.
Thegodofdeathbecameawareoftheruse,however,andhecalledagainto his council: “Lords, Feathered Serpent is at this very moment stealing the precious bones!Useallhastetocuthimoffbeforeheemergesinthesea-ringedworld:diga pitintowhichhewillfallandbetrapped!”
UsinghiddenroutesknownonlytotherulersoftheRealmofFright,thedread lordsracedaheadoftheFeatheredSerpentandfashionedavastandcunningly disguisedpit.Thecreatorgod,startledbyacoveyofquailthatswirledabouthimon theking’scommand,tumbledintothetrap,smashingthebonesintosmallerbits.
Shooingawaythebirds,whichhadbegunpeckingandnibblingatthefragments, Feathered Serpent gathered up the remains and assumed once more his trueform. “Ah,Xolotl,howwasIsoeasilydeceived?Notoneofthemiswhole.”
Thetwinofhisheartansweredfromwithin.“Allisasitmustbe.Theboneshave beenshattered,buttheywillhavetosuffice.”
FeatheredSerpentseizedthebundledbonesinhiscaninejawsandascendedto Tamoanchan.HeplacedthebonesintheProtector’shands,cryingout:
“Divine Mother, the bones are broken! What can we do?”
TheDivineMothersmiled.“Allmustbebrokenbeforeitismadewhole.We willnowgrindtheremainsintopowder,mysisterandI.Thenallofusmustdothe properpenancetomoistenthebonefloursoitcanbekneadedandshaped.”
When the Divine Mother and the Protector had used metate and mano to pulverizethebones,FeatheredSerpentpiercedhisfleshandbledintotheflour.Then eachofthegodsinturndidthesame.Theresultingdoughwasshapedintomen andwomenwhowerebroughttolifebythespiritswendingtheirwaydownfrom Omeyocan,sentbyourgrandparentstoinhabitthesturdynewforms.
FeatheredSerpentbowedhisheadasthehumansopenedtheireyes.“Thus isourhopeborn.Wedidpenancetodeservetheirexistence.Nowtheywilldo penance to preserveours.”
David Bowles, has taught English and education courses at the University of Texas since 1997. A product of an ethnically diverse family with Latino roots in the Río Grande Valley of south Texas, his focus is on the study of indigenous philosophy, mythology, and legend through primary sources. He is the award-winning author of several books, including Flower, Song, Dance: Aztec and Mayan Poetry (2013); Shattering and Bricolage (2014); Border Lore: Folktales and Legends of South Texas (2015); and The Smoking Mirror (2015). His translations have appeared in various venues, including Somos en escrito. He may be contacted at:bowlesdo@gmail.com or www.davidbowles.us. Feathered Serpent is available from Cinco Puntos Press, www.cincopuntos.com.*****
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