system
A chat on 4chan
human
Just learned about the Florintine Codex today. Thought you guys might find this part particularly interesting.
-----
From Fray Bernardino de Sahagún, The Florentine Codex, Book 12, Chapter 1 (Mexica)

Ten years before the Spaniards first came here, a frightening omen appeared in the sky. It was like a large glowing blaze. It seemed to pierce the sky itself, very wide at the base and narrow at the top. It extended to the very middle of the sky, to the very heart of the heavens. When it shone in the east in the middle of the night, it burned so bright one could believe it was dawn. The blaze appeared at midnight and burned till the break of day, then it disappeared from view. When the day broke, the sun effaced it. This omen was visible each night for a year, beginning the year 12-House. When it appeared at midnight, everyone shouted and hit their hands against their mouths; they were frightened and asked themselves what it could mean.

The second omen which appeared was that the temple of Huitzilopochtli burst into flames of its own accord and flared greatly. When the fire appeared, the squared, wooden pillars were already in flames; from within them emerged tongues and tassels of flames that speedily consumed all of the building's beams. When the fire appeared, people shouted: 'Mexicanos, hasten here, come and extinguish the flames, bring your water jugs!' They came, but when they threw water on the blaze it only exploded more. They could not put it out, and the temple burned to the ground.

The third omen was that a temple was struck by a lightning-bolt. It was only a straw hut, the temple of Xiuhtecuhtli in the place known as Tzumulco. It was believed to be an omen because the sun was shining and it was not raining hard that day, only a drizzle, and no thunder was heard.

(will continue)
gpt
Interesting stuff.