The sea and sky are vast, extending to the endless east. Seven kingdom longships, under the driving of nearly 400 warriors and sailors, replenished food and water, loaded with ship materials, scriptures, gems and weapons, left the world of various tribes of Nahua, and went to the never-reached Maya .

Starting from Hidden Snake City, sailing eastward for fifty miles, you will find the ruins of the second ancient city, La Venta, which was once ancient and glorious, but now it has been abandoned. The ruins of the ancient city are located on an island in the middle of the lake near the seashore. Dozens of heads of giant gods stand, tilt or even fall like dead gods. In the city-states on the island, you can see masonry buildings that have experienced vicissitudes of life everywhere, as well as half-dome observatories.

In the center of the ruins of the ancient city, a tall pyramid temple was built in accordance with the practice of Mesoamerican city-states. The La Venta Pyramid Temple is more than 30 meters high, located in the center of the island in the lake, and can be clearly seen from several miles away.

Although the second ancient city was abandoned, the temple in the ancient city is still an important ritual sanctuary. Whenever spring plowing and autumn harvest, and the life and death of the descendants of the gods, sacred sacrificial ceremonies will be held here. At this moment, there are dozens of temple warriors from the local city-state, leading hundreds of militiamen, guarding around the temple. When they saw the long boats in the river from a distance, as well as the warriors and sailors on the boats holding spears and carrying big bows, they became a little vigilant.

Around the ancient city, there is a wide river, which surrounds the remnants of the ancient city-state and flows north into the sea. The name of this big river is called Honglin River (now; river).

"This big river is called Linhe, so it must be because there are many forests around it. But what does the red color refer to?"

Chivaco stood at the bow of the boat, looking at the Red Forest River flowing into the sea, but did not find any trace of red. Pu'apu was restless, and he didn't pay attention to the big river and ancient city in front of him at all. Ticaro glanced at the two of them, with a leisurely expression, and said with a smile.

"This red, naturally refers to cinnabar! Captain Qi, there are many ancient descendants of gods and nobles buried in the second ancient city, and their bones must be covered with divine cinnabar. The upper reaches of this river are important The origin of cinnabar. The descendants of the gods in the Mayan states also have a common tradition of covering the corpse with cinnabar. It is said that the divinity in cinnabar can maintain the corpse for a long time, and it can also help the soul to go to the gods. boundary"

Speaking of this, Ticaro suddenly thought of something. He was in good spirits, and preached again casually.

"Of course, there are some red stones produced in the upper reaches of the Honglin River, which are quite hard. And among these stones, occasionally there will be black-gray flakes with cherry red streaks, shining like a mirror, flowing up and down. In fact, our Mayan tribes call it a mirror stone! As long as it is polished a little, it is a natural mirror, and it will also appear in the tombs of the descendants of the gods."

"Mirror stone?"

Hearing such a strange stone, Puap reacted instinctively. He looked at Ticaro and asked.

"Ticaro, my friend, do you have such a stone mirror?"

Hearing Puap's kind address, Tikalo smiled slightly. After pondering for a while, he fumbled out a shiny black stone mirror from his arms and handed it to Puap.

"Puap, my friend, this precious stone mirror was passed down from our ancestors, so I will give it to you!"

".Thanks."

Pu'apu nodded, took the stone mirror, and looked at it over and over for a while. This mirror is obviously heavier than the obsidian mirror, stronger and more clearly illuminated. To the rough touch, it feels similar to the metal surface of bronze. The gray-soil warrior opened his eyes wide, looked at his haggard self with deep eye circles in the mirror, and pursed his lips.

In the past two days, he has gradually felt the horror of the curse, and he can't help but think of the night when the capital city was broken and he dedicated the city. Every night when he fell asleep, he would dream of the dying scene of Chief Hummingbird, as well as the severed head of Chief Hummingbird. That dead head will always be chasing him in the dilapidated palace, shouting and asking questions angrily.

"Little Puap! What are you going to do?! I entrusted the prince to you, but you handed him over to the Aztecs?. I actually misunderstood you! The honor of the loyalty of the Huitu family for generations is today It will be destroyed in your hands! Pu-a-pu!"

"Puap!"

There was a sudden cry, which made the Gray Earth Warrior tremble and almost dropped the mirror in his hand. He turned his head, but saw the suspicious eyes of the old militiaman.

"Uh! Old man Qi, what are you yelling about? It just scared me!"

"Old Pu, the boat is about to sail. The warriors in the temple are very vigilant, vigilant like lynxes, and they don't welcome visiting teams without the priest's approval. This is their territory, so we won't stop here. Go directly to the river mouth , continue east along the coast, and then find the Mayan village for supplies.”

Chivaco patiently talked about the situation. Then, he looked at Huipuap carefully, and asked with concern.

"Old Pu, what's going on with you recently? You're restless, just like an old turkey who doesn't make a nest. The eyes are also blue and purple like a turtle. Didn't sleep well?"

"Uh, I'm fine. I just don't know what's going on, I keep thinking about the night when the capital city was broken."

Puap scratched his head with a haggard look, looked at Chivako who was full of energy, lowered his voice, and asked softly.

"Old Qi, have you ever dreamed about Chief Hummingbird?"

"Huh? Dreaming about him? Why?"

Chivaco was a little confused. He looked at Puapu strangely, and said in a deep voice.

"The old **** has been buried for several years. His Majesty didn't treat him badly. He gave him a big burial. Now there may only be a bone left. What are you thinking?"

"Old Qi, didn't you dream that the head of the chief hummingbird came to seek revenge on you? You cut it off yourself!"

"Huh?! He seeks revenge on me? I seek revenge on him! My mother-in-law is dead, my son is dead, and my daughter is half-stupid, but it's all him! Ha!"

Chivako felt angry and hated for a while, and finally, somehow, he laughed again. He smiled, shook his head, and sighed.

"Hey! Forget it, I killed him and avenged him. There's nothing to say, it's considered clear of the old Pu, don't think about it, take the warriors and be on guard! We will go to the Maya's place soon, I feel a little uneasy in my heart, and I always feel that I have to... Anyway, pay more attention!"

"Um."

Puap nodded, bowed his head and remained silent. Yes, Chihuaco is not the chief family warrior of the Hummingbird, nor has he betrayed the curse of the Condor, how can it not fall on him. After all the calculations, if the condor had a spirit, then he would hate him the most!

"I am cursed and destined to die. Only the blood of the most revered Heavenly Snake can undo the curse of the Condor."

Puap pursed his lips and looked at Tikalo. The Mayan businessman also raised his head and gave him a gentle smile. Pu Apu had a lot of things to ask in his heart, but there were too many people on the boat, and he couldn't find a chance to speak for a while. After a while, the two turned their eyes away in tacit understanding, each with their own thoughts. Their fate is like a magnet, gradually approaching.

The sea is unpredictable and the tide is rough. In the clear sunshine, the fleet left the second ancient city, the ruins of La Venta, and continued to explore eastward. Under the guidance of the Mayan merchants, they traveled 250 miles east and came to a small Mayan village, Honghu Town.

The fleet stopped at Honghu Town, and sent people ashore to replenish fresh water. They collected information around them, and also sold some gems in small quantities.

Honghu Town has about a thousand people, and there are several villages around it, and there is a large trading market. It has neither palisades nor walls, so it cannot be called a city. However, it has a temple pyramid more than ten meters high, which is why it is called a town.

The name Red Lake comes from a huge lagoon in the east of the village, Red Lake (now Me Lake). The Red Lake has a vast area, sparkling water, swimming fish and birds everywhere, and there are large mangroves and swamps around it. This large lake is formed by bays enclosed by sandbars. So it is a pity that it is naturally a saltwater lake with low salt content, and it is difficult to cultivate farmland nearby.

The upper reaches of the Red Lake are connected to the big river. The sandbars that close the bay are formed by the accumulation of sediment carried by the upper reaches of the river. The name of this big river, locally called Honghe (now; river), is also named because of the dense mangroves along the river.

"Oh! You said this Red River, it's really amazing, it's very long!"

Ticaro stood on the bank with a smile on his face, pointing south up the long river. There is the depth of the continuous rainforest, but also the gradually rising hills, even the mountains of Chiapas.

"This long river can go south for two thousand miles! In fact, it is not one river, but many rivers, many connected together! Connected into a whole, a river basin blessed by the Moon Goddess! There is even a tributary that bypasses the edge of the southern mountain and directly flows into another sea!"

"And this big river is not just a name. It flows through many Mayan tribes, villages and city-states, and each city-state will give it a local name. So, you ask me, what is it? What kind of river? According to me, it is the moon goddess Ixchel (Ixchel) who controls the flood, poured from the tiger's claw, the big river, the mother river of our Mayans!"

Listening to Ticaro's narration, everyone in the fleet looked south. The long river flows down from the depths of the rain forest, bringing the goods and canoes of the various ministries trading upstream. Mayan traders from various tribes spoke similar but different languages ​​and traded in the market on the river bank.

The sharp-eyed mountain eagle looked over for a while and saw the trading items used by merchants many times, acting as "money". The most common are cocoa beans, cotton cloth, small jade stones and large bags of salt. Of course, there are also gems in the lake that gradually flow to the world.

"The goddess of the moon who controls the flood, the bottle of the tiger's claw?"

Hearing such a description, Puap was a little curious. It sounds a bit like Haratana, the traditional moon goddess of the Prepecha people. But after careful questioning, he realized that this was a **** like the Mother Earth.

"Oh! Moon Goddess Yin Xiqier, is a great, respectable and awesome mother goddess! She is in charge of the floods in the rainy season, and she is in charge of women's weaving and fertility. She has a poisonous snake on her head and tiger claws on her hands and feet. There is still a small bottle in the tiger's claws, and there is an endless flood in it. As long as she is angry and pours out a torrent of water, even the mightiest city-state, a great city like Tikal, the capital of the gods, will perish!"

Ticaro recalled for a moment, with a complicated expression on his face. The natural disaster that the Mayan tribes feared most was the flood. The rainfall in this rainforest is too abundant and too erratic, even reaching more than 2000mm a year, even in the second half of the month or even two months. The floods that flooded from time to time, which can submerge rivers and lakes and repeatedly destroy the farmlands of various states and ministries, are the greatest threat to Mayan civilization.

"Therefore, this powerful mother goddess is the third **** among the Mayan gods after the creator god, Hunab Ku; the sun snake god, Itzamana! The World God is at the top of the God Realm and does not communicate with the human world. In people's minds, the Heavenly Snake God and the Moon Goddess are the Father God and the Mother God!"

Ticaro raised the corner of his mouth and looked at the people who were listening attentively. His eyes paused on Puap's face for a while, and then quickly moved away.

"In the southwestern Mayan tribes where the mother river flows, the goddess of the moon is the most important belief! Forty miles upstream of the long river, hundreds of years ago, the ruins of the Mayan city in the golden age, Hoi, the sky of dark clouds City! In Sky City, there used to be dozens of towering temples, hundreds of circular observatories, thousands of houses, a stadium for human sacrifices, and pottery kilns and workshops stretching for miles. Square!"

Ticaro's tone became louder, and his expression was full of yearning. The sky city of Hoi he mentioned is the famous Komalcalco (now) ruins in later generations.

This ancient city was once the most important commercial city in Tabasco during the Mayan classical golden age between 600 and 1000 AD. In the classical period, the sky city was famous for its large-scale pottery production and production, and had an astonishing scale of kiln pits. The small humanoid sculptures produced in Sky City can be found in temple ruins and noble tombs in the central Mayan lowlands throughout the classical era.

"The great sky city is dedicated to Chac, the rain god, Yum Kax, the corn god, Int Sumner, the snake god, but they most worship the moon goddess Yin Xiqie who controls the flood. you!"

Having said that, Ticaro paused. He took a deep breath and was about to tell the key introduction. However, at this moment, Chivako frowned and interrupted.

"Tikalo, I remember, you mentioned that Mayan Feathered Serpent God before, what Kukulkan. Why isn't it in the name enshrined in Sky City?"

"Well"

Ticaro stroked his divine and knowledgeable bald head, pursed his lips, and said with a smile.

"Because in the classical era, the Feathered Serpent God Kukulkan did not exist yet."

"Ah? Doesn't exist?!"

"Yes! The belief in the snake **** has lasted for thousands of years among the Mayan tribes. But the exact appearance of the feathered snake god, named after Kukulkan, was the feathered snake **** of Toltec more than 500 years ago. The snake, with tens of thousands of warriors, attacked along the coast! With the support of some northern Mayan city-states, she launched the second attack from Mexico after Teotihuacan conquered Tikal 1,100 years ago. The kingdom from the highlands marches east!"

The kingdom of Teotihuacan conquered the east, around the fourth century AD. The Eastern Expedition of the Toltec Kingdom was clearly recorded at the end of the tenth century AD. These two expeditions established new kingdoms in the land of the Maya, completely changing the political structure of the Mayan tribes. The martial tribes of Mexico spread the culture and customs of the plateau to the Maya on a large scale, and also passed back a lot of Mayan astronomy and calendar knowledge~lightnovelpub.net~ The Toltecs finally conquered the northern Maya, and in the northern lowlands , established the second Tula capital, Chichen Yincha, and built the immortal Feathered Serpent Temple. Since then, the belief in the feathered snake **** has spread from the western Mexican plateau and seashore to the eastern Maya! .The long-chronic stele in the ancient city of the sky is still six or seven hundred years ago, so it is naturally impossible to enshrine the Feathered Serpent God. "

Tikalo narrated with a smile, showing the magnificent Mayan epic as a feather scale. Then, he quickly sped up his speech, without giving others a chance to ask questions, and talked about Sky City again.

"In the ancient city of the sky that believes in the Moon Goddess, the descendants of the descendants of the gods are the second most honored descendants of the moon and water gods among the Mayan tribes! And the most respected bloodlines of all the tribes are the descendants of the heavenly snake descendants inherited from the father god! "

"Heavenly Serpent Goddess!"

Hearing this thoughtful word, Puap was startled suddenly and let out a low voice. He suppressed the excitement in his heart, coughed lightly, and asked carefully under the lure of Ti Carlo.

"Cough! Where is that descendant of the Heavenly Snake God?"