September 2024: You Dreamed of Empires

The book that we have selected to read for the month of September is You Dreamed of Empires, by Alvaro Enrigue. This book is very unique in that it is a reimagining of the of the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors into the city of Tenoxtitlan - today's Mexico City - in 1519.

I heard about this book through listening to the NPR morning program, "1 A" on a random Friday about six months ago when they featured the author and were discussing this book that the 1 A book club was reading. The program was great and I loved what I heard about the book and wanted to read it. I shared it with Ali, my book club partner about it, she sent it to me and I read it in May 2024 and I loved it!

I've always been interested in the history of how the country of Mexico and its people come into being. I want to know were I come from and that story goes back to this time. What we call Mexicans or Americans of Mexican decent were once known as Mixtecs - part indigenous Mexican peoples and Spanish Europeans. After the Spanish conquistadors colonised the area they called Mexico I. the sixteenth century, sitting at the top of social hierarchical pyramid were pure Spanish Europeans born in Spain, next were Spanish Europeans born in Mexico, then half Spanish half Mexican indigenous peoples and finally Mexican indigenous peoples.

History tells us that the Spanish colonizers were the bad guys in t how the new world was colonized and created. That is my thought on the situation, and to that I'll add that the ruling indigenous people, The Tenocha (later incorrectly named the Aztecs by British historians) were not the good guys. They were ruthless rulers who demanded a tribute from the tribes they conquered in the form of people to be sacrificed in the name of their gods. This ruthlessness ultimately caused their fall from power when these conquered indigenous people allied with the Spanish conquistadors to defeat the The Tenocha.

This book also vividly describes how the citizens of The Tenoxtitlan existed in terror of becoming a sacrificial victims, and their working nonstop to create the perfect society the Tenocha wanted to live in. The regular people lived for the rituals and festivals that their religion and its power hungry insane priests demanded.

I thought the author wonderfully illustrates this in his narration with the people coming out to see the parade of Spaniards - the Caxtiltica - and throwing bunches of flowers at their feet, grateful the newcomers would take their place with their blood and lives being offered up to the patron gods of the city. Even participating in the insanity with later on, maybe buying a strip of warrior arm or loin in the marketplace to eat in hallucinogenic magic tomato salsa on a tostada. Just living for the festivals and the escape that the magic mushrooms provided.

For me, this perspective of the Tenocha society was very powerful. I'd never thought of it this way, driving home the fact that the ruling Tenocha society were not the good guys in this story. After seeing it from this angle I do not think I would want to have lived in this era.

Another detail that the author revealed was that the Tenocha society were frequently intoxicated on Hullicinagenitic magic mushrooms and cactus. They believed that the gods roamed the world, thinking the gods inhabited time in the same way they did but were ethereal beings. Which is why they stuffed themselves full of hallucinogenics at festivals in hopes of catching a glimpse of them. And the Tenocha Emperor, Moctezuma himself stays intoxicated on magic mushrooms tripping throughout the entire book. You think he is crazy, a he is - like a fox with strategies within strategies and personally, I loved how he deals with the Caxtitlteca.

The book's opening scene is of the Caxtitlteca sitting down to eat a ceremonial meal with Emperor Motecuma's wife and sister, Princess Atotoxlti. And the priests of the gods Xipe and Tezcatlipoca, who are dressed in all their gory finery, which is a vivid and gripping scene. Then as a minor detail the reader is informed that everything the Caxtitlteca ate at this dinner was, "mildly hallucinogenic!" So, everyone is tripping on mushrooms and the conquistadors don't even know it.

I loved how the reader is shown the great Tlatelolco market place through the eyes of Jazmín Caldera, a Caxtitlteca who sneaks off to see the great floating city Tenoxtitlan - today's Mexico City. The animals for sale, the food, jewelers, weavers, potters, weapons makers and so much more.

I also thought the author's writing style a bit unusual in his going from one character to another in paragraphs. This made me lay close attention to keep track of what was happening and I liked that.

I was in awe and horrified in the vivid description of the Huey tzompantli of Tenoxtitlan, the skull rattle made up of forty thousand skulls taken from the sacrificial victims. And I laughed out loud when the conquistadores found themselves strolling past the biggest dead-man's rattle in the world as a strong breeze blew and set the skulls to rattling. The awful sound causing the Caxtitlteca to cross themselves, and to begin singing psalms! I think that living in the in the Tenocha society would have been harrowing to say the least.

In the end, found that I really enjoyed YDOI and learned so much about life in Tenoxtitlan and it's society. This is why historical fiction is one of my favorite genres of books. We are given a great story and learn about an interesting period of time. Y D O I was both and even gives us an alternate ending which really enjoyed. It was a delight to imagine the scenes the author created and why I think it's a great book and yet another that is worthy of being read by our Words That Sustain Me book club!