Invicta

[Teaser] The Heart of Copil

Added 2018-08-11 15:49:36 +0000 UTC

Here is a preview of some of the artwork which will go in to the next Moments episode on the Rise of the Aztecs! I've also listed the relevant excerpt from the script for some context on this scene.

Seeking a Home

By now most of the valley of Mexico was already claimed by one people or another. The Mexica attempted to occupy territory but were continuously forced to move on. Eventually they managed to settle and fortify a place called Chapultepec, the hill of grasshoppers. However tensions with their neighbors rose and in response the Mexica elected a warrior as their leader, thus marking their evolution into a militarily aggressive society. According to the Spanish chronicler Diego Duran, within 15 years “A conspiracy was formed among the cities and neighboring towns so that all together they would surround the Aztecs and annihilate them, not leaving one person alive…” Yet thanks to a warning from their god, the Mexica actually managed to ambush the enemy army and catch the ringleader, Copil. According to legend, his heart was cut out and thrown into lake Texcoco at the behest of the war god Huitzilopochtli. It is said that where it landed would be the future site of the capital Tenochtitlan and later day Mexico City. Meanwhile the rest of the captured warriors were ritualistically sacrificed. Unsurprisingly this did little to temper hostilities and bitter fighting continued with such intensity that apparently even the Mexica women and children were forced to bear arms. Eventually, despite fighting bravely, their outnumbered tribe was forced to abandon the area.