As the gods Ceres and Bacchus become the givers of corn and
wine to mortals, so across the Atlantic there has grown out of
a simple mythic conception of nature, the story of the great
enlightener and civilizer of Mexico. When the key which
Professor Miiller and Mr. Cox have used with such success in
unlocking the Indo-European mythology is put to the mass of
traditions of the Mexican Quetzalcohuatl, collected by the Abbe*
Brasseur, 1 the real nature of this personage shows out at once.
He was the son of Camaxtli, the great Toltec conqueror who
reigned over the land of Anahuac. His mother died at his
birth, and in his childhood he was cared for by the virgin
priestesses who kept up the sacred fire, emblem of the sun.
While yet a boy he was bold in war, and followed his father on
his marches. But while he was far away, a band of enemies
rose against his father, and with them joined the Mixcohuas,
the "Cloud-Snakes," and they fell upon the aged king and
choked him, and buried his body in the temple of Mixcoatepetl,
the "Mountain of the Cloud- Snakes." Time passed on, and
Quetzalcohuatl knew not what had happened, but at last the
Eaele came to him and told him that his father was slain and
had gone down into the tomb. Then Quetzalcohuatl rose and
went with his followers to attack the temple of the Cloud-
Snakes' Mountain, where the murderers bad fortified them-
selves, mocking him from their battlements. But he mined in
a way from below, and rushed into the temple among them with
his Tigers. Many he slew outright, but the bodies of the
guiltiest he hewed and hacked, and throwing red pepper on their
wounds, left them to die.
