“As ever, it is our distinct pleasure to entertain an emissary from Her Majesty across the sea, long may she reign.”

“Long may she reign.” Cavendish echoed. His eyes surveyed his host. The man had the earthen complexion of the Nawatell people, reddish brown with straight black hair, high cheekbones on an angular face, and a long, hooked nose.

“I am Tlanextic, Deputy Minister of Tributes, and this is my house. I am sure you are tired by your journey.” The man sat himself down at the table and gestured for his guest to do the same. “Please, be welcome, help yourself to whatever foods you wish, simply ask and the servants will attend. My Lord the has instructed me to share all that I might, and to see that you are comfortable during your stay here in Mexico.”

“Your Lord's hospitality is greatly appreciated.” Cavendish sat down and replicated the manner of his host, taking a cautious sip of the beverage before him- a dark and biting bittersweet fluid. Spread across the table were an assortment of meats, fruits and foreign vegetables, along with the flatbreads that seemed to permeate all parts of Mexican cuisine.

“So, Lord Cavendish, I understand that Her Majesty has sent you to our land on a... fact finding mission, is that correct?”

Archibald Cavendish nodded, carefully measuring his host. The man spoke clear and proper English, and masked his accent well. Had he been to England himself in the past, to learn? Possibly. His voice was calm and measured, and he spoke with much less pomp and bluster that the Englishman would have expected from a prominent lord of Mexico.

“Yes, that is correct. Her Majesty is fascinated by the Empire of our allies in the western continent, and desires to learn more of it. For many in our Kingdom, Mexico is but a distant name on a map. We wish to learn more of your empire, and how it functions.”

Tlanextic's eyes lightened, although he did not smile, as he responded.

“To understand how we stand today, I must start with the past.”

“Then let's begin there.”

“The Mexica were born in the land of Aztlan, far to the north. In centuries past, our god commanded us south, and we came into the valley in which we stand this very day- much like your Saxon ancestors once crossed into England. Our Tlatoani- our King, pardon me, struck an alliance with the other lords of the lake, and our forces did battle with our neighbours. Over time, our King grew to eclipse his allies, and became the first of the Emperors, and our state exerted itself upon its rivals. In time, all accepted our suzerainty. The Emperor ruled, as he does now, with a fair and gentle hand. Local kings and nobles retain their own laws and practices, so long as tribute is delivered to the Huetlatoani, the Emperor of the Mexica. It has ever been my office, and that of my predecessors, to ensure that the tributes are paid on time and in full.”

“And if they should fail to do so?”

“Autonomy is a privilege swiftly revoked, when the lesser kings and nobles forget themselves. Those that rise against the Emperor do not gain the opportunity to do so a second time. Through the attrition of the years, many such kings have fallen, and their cities are now ruled through stewards, direct appointments of the Executive. Still, those who do demonstrate their continued loyalty may find themselves granted land and title in the newer holdings of our state. Thus, today, the state remains ruled  by the Emperor, who is mirrored by his Prime Minister. While the Emperor holds sway over all matters foreign, the Prime Minister's responsibility is in matters domestic. I, for example, report first to the Prime Minister, while my military counterparts stand directly beneath the Emperor.”

“A fascinating dichotomy.”

“Hmm... I could see why an Englishman might say so. Both such powers are vested in Her Majesty... perhaps that is a reflection of the English mind- a singular god, a singular ruler. But I digress, I'm sure we can speak more of philosophy later, once we have had some more to drink. My office is responsible for overseeing all matters of tribute, but there are times when the soft hand of the Prime Minister is unavailable, and the Emperor places his own military governor in charge.”

“Does that lead to conflict between these paired branches of your government then? Losses of power or prestige for one or the other, when one group must cede control to another?”

Cavendish caught what he thought might have been a flash of irritation on his host's face, which was quickly wiped away.

“No such thing would take away from the power or prestige of the Emperor. There are no contests or petty rivalries between the great offices. That might happen in Europe, but that is not the character of the Mexica.”

“Of course. Forgive my misunderstanding.”

“Forgiven without grudges.”

“And if I may inquire further- you've made it clear, and I've learned from your history, that the Emperor rules indirectly, drawing tribute from the lesser city-states. But today, you now expand far beyond the bounds of cities and kingdoms, into the wilds. How does this system function on the frontiers?”

“A thoughtful question... and one without a single answer. Long before our people had fully united the city states around us, new conquests which had... for various reasons, lost their leadership, were granted to the loyal nobility of the home valley. As cities ran out, we began to establish more of our own, young cities without history. Many young knights and nobles, ambitious or unable to inherit in their places of birth, established corporations to found new provinces where they might reign. Other regions were settled directly at the Emperor's command, and have been ruled for the entirety of their histories by stewards. The ah... hmm. Pardon me, I struggle for the word. [I]Pochteca[/I]... they are merchants, but not in the manner of yours. They are... as merchants and nobles and public servants, all at once. I do not believe your language has such a word.”

“I... don't believe I could think of one myself. State merchants, perhaps?”

“Not exactly but, ah... agents, perhaps? They can serve diplomatic roles as well.”

“Agents is general, but it works.”

“Very well. Our Agents have managed portions of the expansion, and continue to serve a vital role to the Emperor.”

“So the expansions are, in general, a mixture of independent efforts of the nobility, direct imperial projects, and what amounts to an organized state merchantry?”

“And the priesthood, of course, but that would go without saying- certainly we both know that your priests have an active role in your colonies.”

“In Christianizing the natives and seeing to the spiritual needs of the settlers, of course. Although... well, I must confess, I know only of the Mexica faith what I have read, some from none-too-accurate sources, I suspect. You are familiar with the Christian faith, are you not?”

“I am familiar, from my studies and time in Port Royal. The god of the land of Israel, who created all from nothing and whose mortal son was sacrificed to ensure the survival of humanity.”

“Well, what I  know of your practice likely comes nowhere near to you know of mine- I know you venerate many gods, whose names I couldn't hope to pronounce, and any details beyond that I would doubtlessly do nothing but disappoint. I would quite like to hear it directly from one of the faithful- I assume you do practice.”

“I do. And it is an uncommon European to actively inquire of our faith, I understand your kind find some of our practices distasteful.”

“My mission here is to learn and report accurately, not to pass judgement.”

“How refreshing! Very well. First, you need to know that our world was not created by nothing. It is the latest in a series of worlds, cycling eternally from one age to another. This age in which we live today, this world, is that of the Moving Sun, and we live in the late period. In time, this world will end- and I understand that view is held in common with many Christians. This world, as all before it, is held in balance between bifurcated forces- wet and dry, dark and light, woman and man. Our state, as you noted, follows this same pattern, for its structure is ordained in the structure of the cosmos itself.

“There are many gods who exist, yours doubtlessly being one of them. Thus, you can find temples to Yahweh, god of Israel, within our land- the rumours you may have heard about us destroying them are unequivocally false. It's unwise to spite any god, or any description, and that your god is worshipped across such a great breadth of land is simple evidence for his greatness. But the God of our people is Huitzilopochtli, and he is the Lord of the Sun and a mighty warrior. It is to Him that we sacrifice, for it is he who struggles to sustain our dwindling age. Other deities receive reverence for various reasons, which is their due, but it is the God of the Nahua who protects our very existence from the coming age of Long Darkness. So as your god had his son sacrificed to protect man, our God has man sacrificed to protect all creation.”

“And these other gods?”

“Tlaloc, Quetzalcoatl... I could speak of many, but you may wish to consult a priest- my roles have their own divine ordinance, but I am not versed in the lore of every spirit there is. More drink?”

“Yes please.”



[I]Correspondence of Archibald Cavendish[/I]

The Nawatell consider themselves to be less of a state, by continental standards, and more an elabourate tributary system which has, in recent centuries, increasingly begun to resemble a unitary state. The paradigm of the mesoamerican peoples, prior to their discovery, was of rival city states and leagues, somewhat comparable to Greece of antiquity. They warred between one another and established tributary networks, but never truly began the nation-building process. The Nawatell of Tenochtitlan were the first group, so far as I can tell, that were able to escape the constant cycle of minor wars, tributary accumulation, and subsequent collapse at the hands of rebelling tributaries and outside forces. I have several hypotheses for how and why it was them to break the trend, although their own account is that their patron sun-god, who is also apparently a hummingbird and a great warrior, led them to sustained victory over their foes. I suspect that their system of accumulating wealth and power in a single capital city was part of a long-term trend that would eventually enrich one victorious city so much that its hegemony over the region was all but guaranteed.

The leader of the Mexica is an Emperor, which is a semi-hereditary position. It does not pass from father to son regularly, but stays consistently within a single ruling dynasty. The Emperor- or 'Great Speaker', in the Nawatell language, rules by divine right, and holds both mundane and ritual roles. The former roles are overwhelmingly military. To compensate for this, the Emperor has a Prime Minister, whose roles involve domestic governance and tribute collection. The Prime Minister's title in the native language translates literally to 'Serpentess'. I have not yet been able to fully understand the reasons for this, but I believe it has something to do with the dualistic outlook of the Nawatell, who ascribe the foreign as masculine and the domestic as feminine, coupled with their reverence for serpents.

Several parallel governmental systems exist within the Nawatell state. Beneath the Emperor are a military council, and the leaders of various different military branches, all of which seem to have their own very distinct practices and traditions. Beneath the Prime Minister are the various lesser Kings, Dukes, Chieftain and other landed nobility, as well as the Imperial Stewards. The Nawatell appear to have, in more recent years, developed a more organized and hierarchical system of domestic government, with High Stewards serving directly below the Prime Minister, each holding responsibility over the various regions of the Nawatell state. They could be compared to provincial or colonial governors or Dukes, with the lesser nobility and stewards being the equivalent of counts and lesser positions.

The priesthood holds a role that seems to lack direct political influence on the state, but whose presence is constantly felt. The integration of the Nawtell faith into all levels and branches of governance gives whole state a distinctively theocratic flavour, although only in holy cities and great pyramidal temples do I find priests with obvious earthly influence. The priests appear to have orders, although I have not even begun to pick apart their intricacies, and I am hesitant to pry too aggressively, lest I insult them and place our valuable alliance into jeopardy. With this said, the Nawatell appear to be genuinely quite tolerant of the Christian faithful, although they will not be questioned on their use of human sacrifice, which they view as a religious imperative of foundational importance. Additionally, they are quite insistent of the primacy of their sun god within their own borders (time and location having a significant role in their faith, as opposed to the universality of the Christian God). They do not take kindly to proselytization of the type that would subvert their existing religious order, denigrate their sun god, or declare sacrifice to be sinful. Indeed, while the Nawatell seem to lack a conception of 'sin', as we understand it, they nonetheless have a variety of laws and proscriptions that ensure that they live lives roughly in accordance with our values, the major issues mentioned in other letters notwithstanding.

The 'pochteca' are a group that remains enigmatic to me. These men are best described as an unlanded noble class who serve as merchants, diplomats, and agents of the Emperor.