ON THE ORIGINS OF THE AZTEC MENACE
Written by Friar Raymond de Narbonne for Pope Anastasius III, c. 10th century AD
Approximate
extent of the Aztec Empire and its surroundings at the time of the invaders' arrival in Africa
Very little is known about the origins of the Aztecs and their homeland, for they are quite withholding of any information regarding their place of origin, preferring their subjects to remain in the dark about their true home. Despite the shroud of mystery behind them, Holy Father, my brothers in faith and I have compiled a brief history of the Aztec peoples prior to their arrival in the continent, based on what little we have learned from the Andalusian traders within their lands, who frequently journey from the port of Valencia to our Parish in Narbonne.
The Moors from Valencia tell tales of a vast Aztec Empire in a land known as Anahuac, far to the West, across the ocean, where no Christian has ventured before. It is there where they rule over a myriad of peoples with an iron fist, extending their yoke over an area comparable to the Empire of the great Charlemagne. Their capital city of Tenochtitlan, far more populous than even the eternal city of Rome at its prime, lays at the center of their empire. Despite their vast size however, their Empire had become stagnant, not unlike the Rome of old, and faced numerous enemies all around them.
To their West lays the powerful Tarascan state of the Purepecha peoples, the eternal enemy of the Aztecs. Their realm boasts considerable fortifications at its borders, comparable to the Theodosian Walls of Constantinople, turning their realm into an impregnable fortress which the Aztecs found impossible to defeat. The mere existence of the Purepechas has prevented the Aztecs from expanding their rule to the Northwest of the region, as any such attempts could easily be thwarted by their Purepecha neighbors.
On the other side of their Empire laid a plethora of city-states populated by the Maya peoples. Fiercely independent, these cities would frequently wage war on each other for hegemonic dominance over the rest of the Maya, but would cease all conflict at the first sign of trouble with an outside power, forming powerful alliances led by the strongest city of them all. At the time of the invaders' arrival in the coasts of Mauretania, such city was Itza, which had coalesced all the Maya cities into a powerful coalition capable of opposing Aztec expansion to the Southeast. The Maya cities frequently found themselves at war with the Arawak Commonwealth to their East, but these Arawak would often provide aid to the Maya during their wars against the Aztecs, as their naval superiority allowed them to blockade their enemies quite handily, as well as facilitated the transport of supplies. As a conquest of the Maya city-states by the Aztecs would indubitably turn the Arawaks into their next target, they would rather help their enemies fight the Aztec menace, than seeing them fail to a much more powerful foe, who would inevitably turn them into their next target.
Far to the Northeast of the Aztec Empire lays the Muscogee Confederacy, which would see itself allied with the Aztecs during the latest Aztec-Maya war, providing much needed naval support which the Aztecs lacked after the Arawak joined the Mayas' side. Unable to pierce through the dense jungles of the Maya frontier, the Aztec leadership had devised a plan which would have the largest amphibian invasion ever seen take place on the heartland of the Mayan League. Departing from the southern ports of the Muscogee Confederacy, one-hundred thousand screaming warriors would set sail to the Kingdom of the Guanahatebey. From there, they would launch an attack on the Arawak capital, which shared the same island, and force them out of the war, enabling the Muscogee transports to ferry the Aztecs directly into the northern shores of their Mayan enemies.
Such a frightening sight was a horror in the eyes of God, who shortly after their departure saw them struck by fierce winds and never-ending showers, which compounded with the incompetency of the Muscogee navigators, led to the loss of more than half their fleet, as well as their eventual arrival to the shores of Africa, having been set off-course by the freak weather. I have arrived to the conclusion that their presence here is but a test of faith, to see whether Christendom can hold against the onslaught of both Saracens and Aztecs, but many of my brethren have begun to lose faith. I hope this report is to your satisfaction, and anxiously await a response, as the crisis continues to grow as reports of Aztec warriors near the border towns of Barcelona and Urgell grow more frequent each passing day. If nothing is done, this parish may soon be abandoned, as more and more of my brothers flee to the safety of more northern towns, away from the incoming slaughter. Perhaps an intervention by the seat of Peter himself may be needed to amend the situation, for once the Hispanians fall, we will be next.
Your humble servant, Raymond de Narbonne.
