Aztec historical flash

Mexico- 1450 AD 

My mother's people belong to the desert. There are not a lot of people in our village. We live on what we hunt- deer, rabbits, and wild turkeys. Our priests chew peyote and recieve visions to guide us. The chief of our village is a generous man. He has a bobcat pelt draped around his shoulders.

My father's people further south who live in big cities call us the Chichimeca, which means "dog people." They think of us less civilized as them because we sometimes move with the seasons and don't stay in one place for long. We just have a different way of life as them. 

One day, my father announced that he was tired of the desert. "There's nothing to see here but sand and cacti. Coyotl, my son, you're a man now. You're 15 summers old. I think it's time to take you on a visit to my country." 

My younger siblings were jealous of me, as none of them had ever left the desert before. My mother was happy for me, saying it's important for young men to see the world. She gave my father a kiss, and soon I was on my way with him to his hometown: the great city of Tenochtitlan. 

We travelled by foot for most of the way. My father knew exactly what inns to stop at. He used to be a merchant a long time ago, so he had a lot of experience with travelling all over the region on business trips on behalf of Tenochtitlan. 

We made a pit stop in the Otomí lands. "They make the best octli here, son." He let me try some of the intoxicating drink because he said I was old enough to handle it. I winced at the taste. My father laughed and said there would be far better things to eat and drink in Tenochtitlan. 

When we got closer to our destination, we got on board a canoe. I nearly tipped it over in excitement when I saw Tenochtitlan on the horizon. 

It looked like a city for gods. A huge temple-pyramid was in the heart of the city, and it was the most massive thing I'd ever seen. It was constructed with such care and beauty. It seemed like a giant mountain to me with its summit above the clouds. 

When we got closer to the city, I could that there were thousands of canoes. Indeed, the most common way of getting around in Tenochtitlan was by canoe. The whole city was built on a lake, so there were more canals than streets. Hundreds of engineers were tasked with the job of keeping the buildings safe from floods. 

We rowed past the chinampas- gardens that floated on the lakewater. They grew crops there like maize and beans. 

Finally, my father took me to a splendid, bustling marketplace. It was full of everything you could imagine. I went up to a food stall and ordered a tamale- maize dough mixed with chillis and wrapped inside a corn husk. It tasted delicious. 

My father bought a bracelet made of shark teeth that was made by a coastal people I'd never heard of. "Your mother will love this," he said. 

I shuddered when I saw a stall that sold pelts from a fierce animal called a jaguar. They were from the hot Mayan lands in the south, full of jungles and powerful city-states. 

No one thought I was strange, even though I clearly looked foreign and I was not very good at speaking Nahuatl. They were used to getting travellers from all over the world. 

When it was time to leave the magnificent city, I was full of stories to tell my younger siblings. Tenochtitlan was an incredible place, but I was starting to miss them and my mom. 

"I've travelled far and wide," said my dad. "But there's no place like home."