A Prince of Anahuac: A Histori-traditional Story Antedating the Aztec Empire Read online

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  LAKE TEZCUCO, 1400 +]

  A PRINCE OF ANAHUAC

  A HISTORI-TRADITIONAL STORYANTEDATING THE AZTEC EMPIRE

  BY

  JAMES A. PORTER

  GALION, OHIOTHE CRAWFORD COMPANYPUBLISHERS

  CINCINNATIPress of C. T. Krebbiel248-250 WALNUT STREET

  Copyright, 1894, by James A. Porter.All Rights Reserved.

  Transcriber's Note: Minor typographical errors have been correctedwithout note. Irregularities and inconsistencies in the text havebeen retained as printed. The Table of Contents was not present inthe original text and has been produced for the reader's convenience.Text printed in italics is noted with underscores (_italics_).Diacritical marks that cannot be represented in plain text are shownin the following manner where "x" stands in for the letter: [=x]letter with macron above.

  CONTENTS

  PREFACE

  INTRODUCTION

  CHAPTER

  I XXI II XXII III XXIII IV XXIV V XXV VI XXVI VII XXVII VIII XXVIII IX XXIX X XXX XI XXXI XII XXXII XIII XXXIII XIV XXXIV XV XXXV XVI XXXVI XVII XXXVII XVIII XXXVIII XIX XXXIX XX XL

  PREFACE.

  In placing this volume before the public we would ask the criticalreader to regard with leniency its imperfections, in view of the factthat an exigency, arising through serious misfortune to the writer,made the issue a necessity.

  The narrative is based upon the Tezcucan historian, Ixtlilxochitl's,brief account of the overthrow of his ancestral government byTezozomoc, the Tepanec king, in 1418; and its restoration, underPrince Nezahualcoyotl, eight or ten years later.

  The wonderful experience of Nezahualcoyotl--Hungry Fox--(abbreviated,for convenience, to 'Hualcoyotl) is made the nucleus around which thestory is woven. So far as possible, the incidents related of him, hiscondemnation to death by Maxtla, the son and successor of Tezozomoc,his remarkable escapes therefrom, and other personal trials, have beengiven in accordance with the historian's account. The descriptiveportions, including what relates to the country and manners of thepeople, are based upon conclusions drawn from reading a traditionalhistory, and, therefore, to some extent, hypothetical; yet are, nodoubt, quite as correct as a great deal of what has been written andput out as authentic.

  The narrative is a representation of the writer's conception as to howthe triumph of Tezcuco over her oppressors might have been broughtabout, together with such incidental situations and characterization asappear best suited to make it attractive. Whether or not success hasbeen attained in the work, the public must decide.

  The characters introduced, with the exception of Hualcoyotl and Maxtla,which are historical, are fictitious, created to meet the exigencies ofthe situations.

  The pronunciation of names will be greatly simplified by the readerbearing in mind that x and ch are convertible, the sound of sh beingsubstituted, as in Ix, which is pronounced Ish; Teochma--Te-osh-ma;Xochitl--Zosh-itl, and Ixtlilchoatl--Ish-thlil-sho-atl. S being anunused letter, z is frequently given a soft sound, as in tzin, which ispronounced tsin; Euetzin--U-et-sin; Oza--Os-a; Itzalmo--I-tsal-mo, andItlza--I-tel-sa. H is silent, as in Hualcoyotl, which is pronouncedU-al-co-yotl; Hualla--U-al-la, and maquahuitl--ma-ka-u-itl.

  With these brief explanations we conclude our preface, hoping that ourlabor has not been in vain, but that the production of it may furnishsome instruction and a few hours' pleasurable pastime.

  THE AUTHOR.