Article suitable for Top Juniors and above

‘The Sinister Road: the Nine Levels of Mictlan’ by Gonzalo Zacaula Velázquez (4)

16th Apr 2023

Mexicolore contributor Gonzalo Zacaula Velázquez

Chapter 4...
The NOTES explain how the story fits - or doesn’t fit! - the illustrations and documented stages.

They advanced towards another peak, which seemed to glint with tiny amber-coloured lights. The guide stopped to plan their ascent. For a moment the poor man thought it was the most beautiful sight his eyes had seen, all those shimmering lights reflecting the sun – or so he thought. As they drew nearer, it seemed as if an entire crystal mountain sparkled with light.
‘We must climb with extreme caution, choose your foot and hand holds very carefully: a single fall and that’s the end of you…’
‘What? We don’t have any special equipment or ropes – how do you expect us to go up?’
‘Those dogs you saw will already be fording the river – there are shallow places where they can cross. They know, they’re already looking for them and they might catch up with us before nightfall; do you want to be their supper? Look in your backpack, there might be something there that could help us climb…’

With all the fear he was feeling the man had forgotten he was carrying a large rucksack. With a childish smile he placed it on the ground and searched inside. Food! Lots of things, and yes, they found several pieces of rope, but none thick enough for the task ahead. In desperation the guide instructed:-
‘Look, take those pieces of cloth and wrap them round your feet and hands: those shiny edges on the mountain are sharp obsidian blades. Try to approach them from the side and step delicately – you need practice. The bad news is we don’t have much time, you’ll have to learn the hard way. Let’s go…’
The man turned, his pallid complexion said it all; he watched as the guide ascended, slowly but safely. He tried following closely in his footsteps. To begin with it was easy, and he was confident they would reach the summit soon. A loose piece of stone broke off under his weight and Package slipped. Trying not to fall he gripped tightly with his hands. But the sharp rocks cut him in several places as he leant against the splinter-strewn hillside. He cried out in pain, moan after moan welling up in his throat.

‘Don’t let go! Look at me! If you fall, that’s you gone for ever. Bear the pain, believe me it’s the only option, don’t let go, try to put your foot somewhere else.’
He spotted a small outcrop of rock, placed his foot on it, checked to make sure it held firm, and managed to find secure handholds. He took a deep breath, smiled in relief, and sensed that the going would be easier, growing in confidence to carry on. The voice of the guide echoed off the bladed mountainside and in his soul – ‘Be careful, that outcrop you stood on was a human skull, and from time to time they break easily, so don’t rely on them.’
The howling could be heard getting closer; taking all his strength he propped himself up and continued the ascent. His wounds were growing with every step, but his body was by now oblivious to so much pain – or rather, fear. Little by little they struggled to the top, and he was now able to support himself better without hurting or cutting himself. A light wind blew over his face. The guide helped him through what seemed an interminable climb, but finally they were on the summit and they collapsed onto green grass. The wind was growing stronger, he could feel it on his face and in his ears, like a steady moan. It was the god Ehécatl calling them, but the omens were not good…

NOTES:-
Here Gonzalo introduces the obsidian mountain Itztepetl - only mentioned in the Codex Vaticanus A-Rios, not in the Florentine Codex in the context of the soul’s journey. Manuel Aguilar-Moreno describes it as ‘a mountain, whose surface was a mantle of razor-sharp obsidian pieces’.

Picture sources:-
• Photo of obsidian mountain: courtesy of Dr. G Dallas and Margaret Hanna © California Academy of Sciences, downloaded from https://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?enlarge=1338+3152+3386+0082
• Photo of obsidian close-up downloaded from https://www.americansouthwest.net
• Main illustration by Steve Radzi/Mayavision for Mexicolore
• Image from the Codex Magliabecchiano scanned from our own copy of the ADEVA facsimile edition, Graz, Austria, 1970; photo of obsidian - see first credit above, from Calphotos.