Day 1 in the Aztec World
I don't know what had just happened...! Everything was everywhere and there were just splotches of colours all over the place. I feel all dizzy now. Also... where am I? I started the machine in my basement, and this is definitely NOT my basement! What's that, a lake? How on earth did I end up by a lake?? This doesn't even look like the modern world that I am familiar to! No cars, no tall buildings, no highways. Where am I? What is this place?
Hang on... I think I know. It's some kind of ancient civilisation, though I am not sure which one. Huh? Did I travel in time...? That means that the machine I found in my basement is a time machine!!
Ok, ok, this is very weird, but what harm is there to do a little bit of exploring? This place looks interesting...
I have found out that I am actually in the Aztec world from yesterday afternoon's exploration. The people here are quite nice, even though I can't understand a word they are saying. I still can't believe that I have travelled in time though - I thought it was just one of the things that only happen in made-up stories!
Anyways. While I was out exploring yesterday, I found a map lying around on the ground. I picked it up and realised that it was a map of Tenochtitlán, the Aztec capital city. It's a little bit muddy because I accidentally dropped it into a muddy puddle on the way back, but it's fine since you can still see everything.
Tenochtitlán, as the capital city of the Aztec, is a very important place for the Aztecs. It is built in the middle of a lake called Lake Texcoco. There are five lake in total in the Aztec region, and Lake Texcoco is the largest of them all.
Legend says that the Aztecs once lived in a place called Aztlan. It was a beautiful place - lucid, pure water drizzled down waterfalls, crops produced food, and people laughed and joked with one another. But one day, Huitzilopochtli - the God of war, sun and human sacrifice - ordered the Aztecs to leave their home and settle on an island. He told them to look for a place where there was "an eagle eating a snake on a cactus". So the Aztecs followed his orders and founded the capital city of their land.
Tenochtitlán, found in 1325, is a city positioned on an island, in the middle of Lake Texcoco. There are, as shown above, four entrances leading from the mainland into the city. Its streets are very spacious and wide with plenty of room for everyone. In the centre of Tenochtitlán there are two towers, encasing the first light of day. Neighbouring to the two towers are the royal palaces, with the temples and houses, trees and canals further along, splitting into quarters by the four roads.
Ah, we must end here today! I am being called to dinner, and the sun is about to sink below the horizon. I want to rest early, so that I have enough energy for tomorrow's adventure!
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