Teotihuacán

The second team consisted of Thorleif, Harald, the interpreter Sequoyah, Erik the trusted warrior, two craftsmen and two soldiers. They headed towards the lake Texcoco where several potential cities were sited. They chose Teotihuacán that was an impressive city with pyramids dedicated the Sun.

For a long period of time, they tried to influence the citizens with their ideas. It was no use, until Harald predicted the fall of the Mayans. No one paid attention at first. However, that was until rumors of a plague were taken seriously. Don’t go there, Harald warned. Every outsider should be at least a month in quarantine, he said. The ruling elite had heard of this truth-teller and called for an audience. Thorleif made up a story about reading astronomical signs and omens. It did not matter much. Thorleif simply said what they wanted to hear, that the Mayan enemy was facing a fall. But most important to Harald, they had an influential audience that he could tell a few things about architecture, economy and politics as well. However, he did not realize that the elite saw them as divine beings.

The king of Teotihuacán did not take advices from Harald, except for one. No one was allowed to enter the city, unless they had been a month in quarantine. Soon the rumors were getting more serious. There were tales of thousands of dead bodies in piles outside the Mayan cities. People were getting paranoid and started to kill each other. The regimes could not maintain order or manage their cities anymore. The priests sacrificed people to please the gods. But nothing improved. Soon People invaded the neighboring cities to get refugee, only to bring the plague with them, and eventually infect it. Cities became totally abandoned. No one dared to live there anymore.

Thorleif was feeling unwell. At first he had made fun of the plan. Then he saw the demons deeds on the carriers. But he could not imagine such genocide. Kristen argued that the Mayans should never be allowed to go to Europe. Now Thorleif was thinking that the threats could as well be the opposite. This doomsday weapon should not be allowed to be let free in any civilized culture again, he thought. After all our mission is completed, I will settle at my own tribe and live the rest of my life in peace, he thought.

The king caught interest in the strangers that were obviously skilled. He invited Thorleif and Harald to dinner one day. They were treated as the royal guest they were. This is good, Harald said to Thorleif. I think we are getting through. Issues of management and architecture were mentioned, with help from their interpreters. The king was somehow reluctant to discuss politics, but caught interest in what they could offer in the art of architecture. Do not teach him about your boats, Thorleif warned. Harald presented drawing of an aqueduct, a mill and a bakery. This caught the king’s interest. They had a well that provided water from the ground, but they did not have an aqueduct that could bring water from a lake. They had something like a mill, but not driven by animals. They also had bakeries of cause, but the division of labor seemed more effective. He was pleased and thanked for the designs. He wanted to discuss the proposals in his council.

They noticed a great improvement in the treatment the following days. Suddenly they had many friends they did not know of. People that had been rather impolite had turned extremely polite. Even Thorleif’s men were treated well. They were not surprised when the king invited them to another dinner. They were however surprised by the ceremony. There were a hundred people present. They seemed to have mistaken them for some royal celebrities, for they fell to the floor when the guests arrived. They applauded, when something was announced. That must have been some design you presented for them, Thorleif commented.

Finally they got hold on Sequoyah. Thorleif asked; what is it all about? I do not know exactly, but it has something to do with the Mayans. I think the capital city has fallen. Do they relate us to that event? I think so, Sequoyah answered. Thorleif asked Harald; how do we explain that this is not our deed? We don’t, he answered. We are here to gain power, and I can not see any better way to achieve that, than to be the heroes that made their superior enemy fall. Thorleif was worried. This could be too much, he thought. There could be questions and demands that they could not live up to. What then? What if they were cornered by some false accusations, based on this? Anyway, there was no way Thorleif could explain the situations to them. Even though he could come up with a good explanation, there was no way he could get them to understand. All he could achieve was to spread confusion, disbelieves and weaken their position. He figured it was best to let the king find out for himself where they wanted to place them in their hierarchy.

It was a magnificent evening. There were treasures, delicatessens, and entertainment in the best splendor. Thorleif and Harald were the center of it all. Harald, that used to be so modest, took as much credit he could that evening. Always working, Thorleif thought. However, both Thorleif and Harald were very careful that evening. No one was allowed to touch them or share any of their food with them. They were getting a little paranoid too about Kristen’s success with the Mayans. They thought; what if someone infected managed to come to this city? One single person could make the whole community fall. However, what they did not know was that the quarantine was taken very seriously and was extremely effective. The Teotihuacánians killed anybody that tried to enter or tried to leave.

There was another meeting the next evening. This time there were only the king and his advisors. They looked at the drawings of the aqueduct. It is an old roman design Harald had drawn. An advisor asked via the interpreter; can you make one of these? Sure they could, if they got the manpower and resources they needed. They were offered anything they needed. Harald became the project manager for the aqueduct. Even though he was the manager, he got a hard time talking to the labor. Sequoyah, the interpreter, was assigned as his personal assistance for the project.

Meanwhile, Thorleif had a few days to go sight-seeing in the city to study it closely. The city was one of the world’s largest and encompassed 20 square km. It supported a population at 150.000. There were 2000 single-story apartment compounds. He was told that the city was previously destroyed by a volcano. Since then, volcanic glass was used for weapons, tools, and ornamentation. It gave them an advantage in tool making.

There were great plazas, temples, a canalized river, and palaces of nobles and priests. The main buildings were connected by a 40 meter wide, and 2.5 km long road, called the Street of the Dead. At one end of the Street was the Pyramid of the Moon that rose 40 meters. It was flanked by platforms and smaller pyramids. Along the southern part of the street was the Citadel that held the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent. It had the form of a truncated pyramid. From its ornately decorated walls, there were numerous stone heads of the serpent god. To Thorleif’s surprise, there were also ceremonially remains of both men and women. Finally, he saw the largest building of all, the 65 meters high Pyramid of the Sun.

Thorleif realised, maybe too late, that the city was not merely the region's major economy, but also an important religious centre. The theocrats, who governed the city, also staged grand religious ceremonies that involved human sacrifices. He realised that they should not be in conflict with the priest. He did not realise that it was already too late to change.

Thorleif thought it was time for him to discuss politics with the king. He brought his interpreter and paid the king a visit. They had to wait for a long time. Finally he got his unofficial meeting. It was a relaxed atmosphere in the garden. Thorleif imagined that this must have been how the ancient Romans lived. There were pools, trees and statues that decorating the garden well. There were children and servants playing too. Thorleif understood that this king was a family man. That pleased Thorleif. Then he knew that this person knew much about diplomatic solutions to conflicts.

It was hard for Thorleif to figure out how he could ask about political powers, though. How could he ask about who were potential dangerous for them? He had learned from Trondheim that such issues could be complex and dangerous. The Norse tales of the trickster god Loki was a clear warning for him. Although, he knew he had to approach the issues, to be prepared for the conflicts ahead.

He started with saying something about how much he appreciated the king’s friendship and generosity. The king response seem to indicate visa versa. Thorleif continued to express that he wanted the friendship to last. A thought of being blood brothers popped into his mind and popped quickly out again. Such a suggestion could indicate weapon, blood and disease. What about hugging? No, that could easily indicate romantic seduction. He looked at the children and saw they play cheerfully. He pointed at them and expressed happiness and friendship. The king hartfully agreed. At another place, two children were fighting. A servant ran to them and stopped it with kindness. After the children had stopped fighting, Thorleif expressed joy of the situation. The king agreed even more. Thorleif could very well understand that this man had his internal problems with fighting children, servants and spouses. He realised that it must be the most important task for him to maintain internal peace.

Thorleif tried to express himself again. He pointed at both of them and expressed happiness. He mentioned Harald and expressed the same. He pointed at Sequoyah and expressed content. He then drew three faces at the sand; a smiling, a content, and an angry. This was the most important word for him now. It was crucial not to state anything but question; who? Thorleif was worried that he had come up with some kind of insult that would ruin their friendship. The king looked at Thorleif, with a serious look. He hesitated. He probably had understood the question and the gravity of it. He sent the Sequoyah away and got Thorleif alone. Then he pointed at a statue of the Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent.

Thorleif felt the chill. That was exactly what he feared the most. He remembered his sight-seeing earlier, the temple, the street of the dead, and he realized that these priests were powerful and violent. They did probably anything to keep their powers, and to gain even more. He and Harald had become powerful and allied with the king. That could be a disturbance in the balance of power. That might be seen as a threat to them, a threat that had to be eliminated. Thorleif nodded slowly for a long time and erased the figures. Then he smiled and thanked the king. The king seemed also happy. He sat back and relaxed. So did Thorleif. The sat there the whole day and simply enjoyed the peace.

Harald came back that evening rather upset. He was complaining that he was going to be a failure. He knew that the workers were skilled. Still there were so many ridicule misunderstandings, that there had to come to a conflict one day. He, as the man in charge, would eventually get all the blame. Thorleif knew Harald was a skilled manager and that he had succeeded in most of his projects. Building an aqueduct was not the most advanced task and should not be a problem for him. Thorleif could very well believe that something strange was going on. Harald asked; what should I do? We should go to the king and tell him exactly how bad your project is going, Thorleif replied. Harald protested. I might be expelled if he gets to know. I visited the king today, I think he will understand and help. Trust me on this, Thorleif added.

They both went to the king to pay him a visit the next day. They had to wait a long time again, but got their unofficial audience. There was a long time with small talks. Harald managed to hide his impatient for the king, but Thorleif knew. Eventually he turned the talks into the issue of the aqueduct. The king showed great interest. But the visitors showed sad faces. It seemed that the king was not surprised at all. He called for a servant and gave him an order. Meanwhile, he offered them some refreshing drink. The king smiled and nodded, as he was telling them something. He pointed at the sun and then the drink. They all nodded in understanding. The servant came with a branch of leaves. Coca, he said. He crushed a bit in their cups and took a sip of his own. The guests did the same. Soon they understood the problem and the solution. The workers did not merely need water. They needed coca in order to do the work properly. That was not merely a need, but also a required payment.

The king is our personal friend; Thorleif said when they got home. This is important, because I think we also have enemies here. Harald caught interest. I talked with the king yesterday. As you can see, he is a discrete diplomat, and our commutation skills should be better. But I am certain that he warned me about the theocratic priests. They are rather powerful and ruthless. Even worse, I suspect that they are candid and do not do their own dirty work. We should keep our eyes on them in the future. But we should never do anything to provoke them. It would be best if we and they kept our businesses apart.

The construction of the aqueduct went better than Harald hoped for the next days. The workers showed themselves to be highly skilled and effective, thanks to the king’s supplies of coca. The progress went on for a week until it stopped completely one day. Harald was angry and confused. There were no explanations. The simply worked slow, if worked at all. There were mistakes that had to be corrected, and consumed all the manpower. There was simply no progress. Thorleif came to the site to see for himself. There was no doubt that the work had halted and that it basically was due to collective actions. But Thorleif spotted the problem right away. Its time to see the king once more, he said.

For the third time, they asked the king for advice. Once again they had to wait a long time before the king came to them. This time, he was stressed. But he could clearly see what it all was about. Harald looked as sad as he could and Thorleif pointed at the statue of Quetzalcoatl. This time, the king did not come up with cheerful solution right away. The only solution he presented was something like taking a vacation. This was not in accordance to Harald’s ambitions and pride. But Thorleif convinced him that the best they could do was exactly what the king suggested. He knew best and they were helpless without his support.

It was a good time for a vacation, though. It had been half a year since Kristen released the demon. They did not hear much about it anymore. They only knew they were safe in this city. They enjoyed the hospitality of the king. Everything was for free. Servants seemed happy to serve them; it seemed to be an honor. They could also speak freely, because no one understood their language. That was an exceptional experience for them. They knew each other well enough to test out strange ideas. They could say thing without being insulting. They could talk about important things without worrying if anyone got more information than he needed to know. They had creative discussion, and enjoyed it. The most important question at the time was; what now? It did not take long before the question was answered for them.

They were invited to the king’s palace for another audience. This time, it was an official meeting and there were no time for small talks. In a large hall, there was a large table. The king sat at one end, at one side there were four priests and at the other side Thorleif was glad he brought Sequoyah and Erik this time. Thorleif said to Harald; we should rather listen than talk. The king welcomed them all and made it clear that this was a meeting the priest wanted and that they thought the king was as an appropriate mediator. The priest used uncommon word and talked rather abstract. That made it hard for Sequoyah, and even harder for the guests, to understand. Sometimes the king had to translate to the interpreter before he could translate to the guests. They understood that this was a risky conversation. It was certainly important because the priests were that many. They were clearly skeptical to the strangers.

The king said; you came here about the time death caught the Mayans. You warned us about going there. They want to know your relation to that. Thorleif and Harald discussed for a while, but figured it would be simplest and best to deny anything about it. We were told by others and were not there at all. Then Thorleif had to explain that they originally came from a tribe further north of the gulf. The priests seemed to accept that, but were still questioning their influence and motives. A priest talked directly to Thorleif. You are light-skinned and bearded. You do not look like anyone here. Where are you from? He was thinking of how to explain their long journey. But he thought that this should be somewhere west of Spain. He simply pointed eastwards at the sea. All the priests reacted in wonder and discussed eagerly. The king reacted too, but stayed quite. Thorleif and Harald wondered what all the fuzz was about.

An older priest asked directly. Do you come from the sun? Now it was Thorleif and Harald’s turn to react. The sun? No, no, I come from a land across the sea. There is no land across the sea, he was told. There is only the home of the sun. Only the god of light comes from there. Surely you know that, he added. There was talking within the groups from now on. The king then decided to end the meeting and no-one objected. The priests went on discussing in their own special language and way. When they were gone, the king came over to Thorleif and asked. Is it true that you come from there? Yes, it is true that we came form over the sea, but we do not come from the sun itself. The king was very thoughtful and left for the garden.

The workers worked harder than ever the next days. The figure was removed. They did not even dear approach Harald. He had to take hold on their leader to give a simple message. From that time, he used Sequoyah for every communication. It seemed that the workers only dared indirect communication with him. I simply want to build an aqueduct, he complained to Thorleif. And they simply do not want me to do it, he added. This is not like using loyal soldiers as workforce. I am not used to having soldiers coming up with any unthinkable barrier. This is not the way I enjoy working. Removing political obstacle is not my kind of work. Usually someone else has done that in advance. Or else its war, he added. That got Thorleif thinking. It seems that there is always a new conflict every time we manage one. This will reach a climax soon. I need to talk to the king once more.

He visited the king the next day. The king did not let him wait this time. He was serious and led Thorleif into an office. They tried to communicate without an interpreter, for security reasons. It was hard and it was risky. The king said; you are of the sun. Most of the priests believe that. They all will test you. It is dangerous. I can not help you against the priests. They are too powerful. Thorleif saw the sincerity in the king and asked; what would you do, if you were us? The king looked at him sadly. I would leave this city. He waited a long time to see how Thorleif reacted. There was not much to see. There is a good place for you, though. It would also be an honorable retreat for you. You can work for my cousin in a neighboring city. It is not as magnificent as this, but it has lots of potential. My cousin is young and ambitious. I am sure he will provide you all you need, if you help him building his city. Think about it, but hurry. I fear for your safety. Then the king left the room.

Thorleif and Harald agreed quickly on taking the kings offer. They saw nothing but trouble in the city Teotihuacán now. However, with some experience with the culture, they had a chance to start anew. They would even start with a king on their side and be able to set the conditions from the beginning. They left the next day, and let the king explained to the priests. They also seemed happy with the decision.