TEZCATLIPOCA “Smoking Mirror”
Mexico, Present Day
“This is just incredible!” Miranda gasped as she stood in the fluorescent lit chamber. “A tomb directly underneath the central Acantun?! This is unheard of!”
The pale green glow of the florescent lights cast a slightly eerie atmosphere across the black walls. From the long hall like entrance a wind gusted into the tomb, stirring the delicate layer of dust coating the floor into whirlwinds.
“Amazing.” Tim whispered. His voice could have been the crap of a whip as the silent chamber resonated at his words. “How did you find it?”
“When I was here during the first excavation one of the team came across the entrance when scouting for a pit stop.” Tlaco explained as he produced a torch from his pack and flicking it on. A bright white beam swung through the silent tomb. “It had been completely sealed shut from the outside. It took some time to safely remove the stones blocking the entrance tunnel. By the foundations of these underground tunnels we are quite certain that there was once a temple above the ground, surrounding the central Acatun.”
“What happened to it? It definitely ain’t up there any more.” Amy queried. Her gaze roved over the black stone in the walls.
“It was probably removed for building material during the Spanish conquest.” Tim replied, clicking his tongue in disapproval. “What a waste.”
Miranda narrowed her eyes as she listened, squinting into the dull light. Slowly as her eyes adjusted she saw the outline of a rise in the floor. The sharp rectangle block stood before her, level with her hip. On top of it she could see the outline of a stone coffin, a sarcophagus, underneath a white plastic sheet. She frowned. Fumbling, she removed her backpack from her shoulders and from it fished out her torch.
“There’s no need for that Miss Young.” Tlaco moved across to one wall of the tomb and by the beam of the torch he flicked a switch. A brilliant light snapped sharply on and Miranda threw up a hand to shield her eyes from the battery operated light set up in one corner.
Blinking as her eyes adjusted she found that in the dim green light she had missed the table that had been set up by the previous archeological teams beside the sarcophagus. On it lay what Miranda could only assume what the great thick cover stone which had once covered the sarcophagus. Indeed she had seen it correctly and again she frowned.
“A sarcophagus in an Aztec tomb?” Tim’s voice sounded disbelieving, yet also astonished.
“It’s not filled with urns from a cremation?”
“No, it’s not.” Tlaco replied, stepping next to the table which held the stone cover. “It’s confused me too. However, the depiction on the stone is Aztec.” He leaned over the cover stone and scratched the bristle on his chin.
Miranda stepped closer to see for herself. A dark picture had been painted onto the stone; it glinted with a tinge of scarlet. “It’s of Tezcatlipoca.” She announced.
“Who’s he?” Amy piped up as if on cue as she sidled closer for a better look.
“A major deity in Aztec times.” Miranda said curiously. “He is said to have been the lord of the night. He was also thought to be the god of war and beauty. He would test one’s morals by tempting them to do evil. Yet he punished evil and rewarded virtue. He usually is depicted carrying an obsidian mirror which he used to vanquish his enemies into smoke and he often took the form of a Jaguar. It is also said in some myths that he even helped those who sought revenge.”
Amy leaned closer to the stone before her. “Curious.” She remarked.
“Not only the sarcophagus, but this tomb was well constructed too. Look at all this obsidian in the walls.” Tim ran a hand over the smooth dark stone. “Judging from the size of the village by those Acantuns it seems unlikely that they could afford to build this here.”
“Perhaps they didn’t.” Tlaco suggested. “But what’s inside the sarcophagus is most curious of all. Take a look.” He pulled the plastic sheet away from the stone casket. The four of them peered intently into it.
“You should know, it was like this when we first removed the cover stone.” Tlaco said, straightening up and rubbing his head wonderingly. “I assure you the previous digs haven’t tampered with it.”
“But, this is-” Tim began.
“It’s empty!” Miranda turned to Tlaco frowning, then seeing he had no answer looked back down into the vacant space. “There’s nothing here.”
“No not quite.” Amy remarked suddenly pushing through Tim and Miranda. “Look.” She pointed to a set of four deep scratches on one side of the sarcophagus. She leaned closer.
Reaching for the mark, her fingers run down the grooves in perplexed wonder.
END
The pale green glow of the florescent lights cast a slightly eerie atmosphere across the black walls. From the long hall like entrance a wind gusted into the tomb, stirring the delicate layer of dust coating the floor into whirlwinds.
“Amazing.” Tim whispered. His voice could have been the crap of a whip as the silent chamber resonated at his words. “How did you find it?”
“When I was here during the first excavation one of the team came across the entrance when scouting for a pit stop.” Tlaco explained as he produced a torch from his pack and flicking it on. A bright white beam swung through the silent tomb. “It had been completely sealed shut from the outside. It took some time to safely remove the stones blocking the entrance tunnel. By the foundations of these underground tunnels we are quite certain that there was once a temple above the ground, surrounding the central Acatun.”
“What happened to it? It definitely ain’t up there any more.” Amy queried. Her gaze roved over the black stone in the walls.
“It was probably removed for building material during the Spanish conquest.” Tim replied, clicking his tongue in disapproval. “What a waste.”
Miranda narrowed her eyes as she listened, squinting into the dull light. Slowly as her eyes adjusted she saw the outline of a rise in the floor. The sharp rectangle block stood before her, level with her hip. On top of it she could see the outline of a stone coffin, a sarcophagus, underneath a white plastic sheet. She frowned. Fumbling, she removed her backpack from her shoulders and from it fished out her torch.
“There’s no need for that Miss Young.” Tlaco moved across to one wall of the tomb and by the beam of the torch he flicked a switch. A brilliant light snapped sharply on and Miranda threw up a hand to shield her eyes from the battery operated light set up in one corner.
Blinking as her eyes adjusted she found that in the dim green light she had missed the table that had been set up by the previous archeological teams beside the sarcophagus. On it lay what Miranda could only assume what the great thick cover stone which had once covered the sarcophagus. Indeed she had seen it correctly and again she frowned.
“A sarcophagus in an Aztec tomb?” Tim’s voice sounded disbelieving, yet also astonished.
“It’s not filled with urns from a cremation?”
“No, it’s not.” Tlaco replied, stepping next to the table which held the stone cover. “It’s confused me too. However, the depiction on the stone is Aztec.” He leaned over the cover stone and scratched the bristle on his chin.
Miranda stepped closer to see for herself. A dark picture had been painted onto the stone; it glinted with a tinge of scarlet. “It’s of Tezcatlipoca.” She announced.
“Who’s he?” Amy piped up as if on cue as she sidled closer for a better look.
“A major deity in Aztec times.” Miranda said curiously. “He is said to have been the lord of the night. He was also thought to be the god of war and beauty. He would test one’s morals by tempting them to do evil. Yet he punished evil and rewarded virtue. He usually is depicted carrying an obsidian mirror which he used to vanquish his enemies into smoke and he often took the form of a Jaguar. It is also said in some myths that he even helped those who sought revenge.”
Amy leaned closer to the stone before her. “Curious.” She remarked.
“Not only the sarcophagus, but this tomb was well constructed too. Look at all this obsidian in the walls.” Tim ran a hand over the smooth dark stone. “Judging from the size of the village by those Acantuns it seems unlikely that they could afford to build this here.”
“Perhaps they didn’t.” Tlaco suggested. “But what’s inside the sarcophagus is most curious of all. Take a look.” He pulled the plastic sheet away from the stone casket. The four of them peered intently into it.
“You should know, it was like this when we first removed the cover stone.” Tlaco said, straightening up and rubbing his head wonderingly. “I assure you the previous digs haven’t tampered with it.”
“But, this is-” Tim began.
“It’s empty!” Miranda turned to Tlaco frowning, then seeing he had no answer looked back down into the vacant space. “There’s nothing here.”
“No not quite.” Amy remarked suddenly pushing through Tim and Miranda. “Look.” She pointed to a set of four deep scratches on one side of the sarcophagus. She leaned closer.
Reaching for the mark, her fingers run down the grooves in perplexed wonder.
END
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