Dual
RIP Karl 1991-2014
Ce Acatl Topiltzin (Our Prince, One Reed) was a Toltec king of Tula in the tenth century. After recovering from a debilitating sickness, Ce Acatl announced that he had undergone a metamorphosis, transforming into a living avatar of Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent god. Toltec society at the time had two major factions, the warriors, worshiping their deity, Tezcatlipoca, a cruel and capricious god, and the artisans, who worshiped the less bloodthirsty Quetzalcoatl, who only demanded sacrifices of butterflies and birds, in stark contrast to most Mesoamerican deities. Ce Acatl, now known as Topiltzin-Quetzalcoatl, feuded with the warrior cast, and both he and his followers were driven out of Tula. Fleeing to the sea in the east, Quetzalcoatl summoned a raft of sea snakes, and departed for the Mayan cities of the Yucatan, announcing that he would return on his year, Ce Acatl (one-reed) which repeated every 52. In effect, it was like saying he'd be back on Tuesday, but neglecting to say which Tuesday. The year was 947, and on every 52nd after, the peoples of Mexico awaited Quetzalcoatl's return: Would he be angry? The eleventh iteration of Ce Acatl was the year 1519, when Hernan Cortes and his conquistadors arrived at Veracruz, and this is probably the source of the idea of the local populations that the Spaniards were gods. Ce Acatl's twenty-first iteration will be 2039. Do you think he'll be angry?
