E62 Tláloc: El Señor de las Tormentas
During February 2024, the latest storm brought 1.99 inches of rain to Southern California so far, bringing this month’s total rainfall to 12.56 inches. The latest storm dropped 1.99 inches of rain in downtown Los Angeles and it makes it the fourth wettest February in downtown Los Angeles since 1877 when records first were reported. The monster storm triggered hundreds of mudslides across Los Angeles. Why do they happen?Our story takes 500 years to the past back to the Aztec Empire, who believed in a complex and diversified pantheon of gods and goddesses.Tlaloc, the god of rain, water, and earthly fertility, is one of the most ancient deities in all Mesoamerica. The Aztecs believed that if sacrifices were not supplied for Tlaloc, rain would not come, their crops would not flourish, and so, human sacrifices were performed...child sacrifices. Visual accounts of Aztec sacrificial practice are principally found in codices and some Aztec statuary. Many visual renderings were created for Spanish patrons and thus may reflect European preoccupations and prejudices.Archaeologists have found the remains of at least 42 children sacrificed to Tlaloc at the Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan. Tlaloc required the tears of the young as part of the sacrifice. The priests made the children cry on their way to immolation: a good omen that Tlaloc would wet the earth in the rainy season.The Tlaloc Monolith is among the most photographed public artworks in Mexico City. Standing on the grounds of the National Anthropology Museum it represents an ancient deity of rain and water. The monument was buried from at least the 16th century in San Miguel Coatlinchán, east of Mexico City in Mexico State, and found in the mid-19th century. In 1964 the statue was moved to Mexico City. The move of the Tlaloc Monolith was accompanied by a tremendous downpour that flooded much of the city center. It’s never been forgotten.Was the wrath of the rain and water God awaken? You will find the full transcript at https://interspanish.buzzsprout.comAs always, I really appreciate your thoughts and feedback about the show. You can reach out to me :Email me episode suggestions to: InterSpanishPodcast@gmail.comYouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@interspanishpodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/interspanishPodcast/about/?ref=page_internalInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/interspanish/Listen: https://interspanish.buzzsprout.com/shareTwitter: https://twitter.com/InterSpanishPod