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City of the Gods
Students of Mesoamerican archeology and culture will see that I have selectively chosen aspects of Mayan and Aztec mythology from the original codices written by the Aztecs and those interpreted by Spanish priests that slot into the Stargate mythology. I make no apology for this, particularly because the Aztecs pinched most things from the Mayans, and never met a deity they didn’t like to adopt into their pantheon - which doubtless caused no end of confusion amongst their hapless worshippers. As a writer of fiction my job is to create verisimilitude, so some facts will naturaly be shaped to fit.
For everyone else, if you'd like a quick run-down on Aztec culture, click on the 'Gods to Go' link at left and check out their hilarious take on the Aztecs. More serious students seeking in-depth references, click here.
Now, this is the part where I apologise to everyone for dislocating their collective jaws. I have chosen to spell Aztec deities as they most commonly appear in academic literature. There are several variations. During editing, my publisher asked if there was anything I could do to at least make them vaguely pronounceable. Apart from turning them into teapots and cats, my advice is, if you haven't already read the book, don't even try to say the names. I certainly didn't, although it's fascinating listening to someone fluent in Nahuatl articulate them. Really, one has to admire the capacity for the human tongue and jaw to work itself into a pretzel.
Under the baleful glare of my (then) six-year old daughter - I bribed her with cake - we walked the entire Avenue of the Dead, and climbed the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon at Teotihuacán (my images). It was a remarkable and somewhat chilling revelation to see how the city skyline follows that of the landscape. Exploring the nearby caves and lava tunnels was also a little chilling. I defy anyone who spends time at Teotihuacán (movie clips)not to leave awed by this extraordinary feat of urban planning and engineering. Of course, like Egyptology, aspects of what little is known about the builders - and that's remarkably little - have been altered to fit the Stargate world, aka von Däniken.
The volcanoes used in this story are based on a degree of personal experience. While aspects of volcanoes used in the story are entirely fanciful - it is, after all, a work of fiction - a comprehensive collection of large scale high quality images can be seen here. The 'frying pan lake' that Jack described is here, while an article about the influence of Ambrym on my writing of this novel, is here. All of these links are in the menu at left, so if you get lost, simply use the nav menu to return to this page.No, I do not own crystals or magnets, nor do I follow any new age religion, but the pyramid razor-blade sharpener actually works. I am also the proud owner of a beautifully knapped obsidian Aztec sacrificial knife, and a fine reproduction of the Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull.
Errata: P6. I'm the dummy who missed the fact that a line of type vanished in the opening quotation from HP Lovecraft. In fact, Lovecraft is citing Algernon Blackwood (author of The Wendigo, amongst other works).
Finally, several people have asked me the reason for the dedication of the novel to the Sea Shepherd Society. Like any dedication, my reasons are deeply personal, however they are in part explained here.
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