Wixáritari

Rutukúri

Covered in black warfare tattoos and tribal sigils, Rutukúri is a feared warrior and war-party intelligence scout. A highly skilled archer and edge-weapon specialist, he knows the weakest parts of Spanish formations and armor.

Grass

Captured by the Spanish during his first hunt, the young boy known as Grass understands more than most. A quick study under the tutelage of the basque quartermaster, he's already learned Spanish and Euskara, and knows how to keep secrets.

Ra’ta Dxí

Soft spoken and gentle, Ra'ta Dxí was captured along with two of the elders in her clan. Draped in linens and blankets, she keeps Grass safe in captivity. She does her best to hide her plans of escape and the hope to hold her baby for the first time.

Location

The buffer zone between the southern Mexica empire of Tenochtitlan and the nomadic civilizations of the north, the Zacateactl region spanned from central Mexico to the foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental.

Evidence of the Zacatecatl dates back to 100 AD. Massive ceremonial halls and astrologically based ritual architecture shows the advanced understanding the Zacatecatl had about the stars and lunar cycles. Ancient ruins like La Quemada and Altavista indicate a profound respect for burial rituals and the dead due to the size of their priests tombs.

The Zacatecatl maintained a profound warrior culture for more than a millennium before a major collapse dispersed their civilization across the western and central parts of Mexico. Major portions of their tribe simply vanished without a trace, leaving the remaining populations to adopt a nomadic way of life.

The word "Zacatecatl" is Nahuatl for "An area of abundant grass". The Mexica named the Zacatecatl after their terrain but included a warning for their surrounding tribes. The Zacatecatl region was dangerous and best left alone.

Beliefs

Deeply held solar and lunar rituals indicate the Zacateactl believed in the same sun and moon deities as their predecessors.

The Sun Pyramid was a huge structure built in perfect alignment with the equinoctial solar path that bisected the sacred Picacho Pelón hill. Within the Sun Pyramid, priest-governors were buried in ornate tombs and left undisturbed for centuries.

Lunar worship is also indicated by the 28-column lined Column Hall that served as a lunar calendar and place of lunar worship.

The Zacatecatl regarded both the sun and moon as deities that could embody human hosts. Priest-governors and leaders were believed to have been embodied by such deities and could also embody descendants with inherited powers.

Human sacrifice was a prominent part of their solar worship. Solar gods required human-soul energy to remain strong enough to maintain the world. Human subjects were regarded with great respect for their sacrifice and seen as the most important parts of the ritual sites.

Warfare & Conflicts

One of the most feared tribes for over a thousand years, the Zacatecatl cultivated a warrior heritage that remains present to modern day.

From their ancient roots of fierce spear and edge weapon combat, the Zacatecatl maintained their territories despite multiple invasion campaigns from surrounding rival tribes. The Mexica, the most prolific warrior tribe in Mexican history, chose to avoid the Zacatecatl territory for centuries. Some theories posit the Mexica actively absorbed the Zacatecatl populations over time rather than attempt to conquer them.

By the 16th century, the Zacatecatl perfected mineral and metal utilization in their weaponry. Edge weapons were lined with copper, silver, and obsidian mined in the caves of their territories. Archery skills were refined with obsidian tipped arrows, providing some of the first tribal technologies to rival Spanish steel.

The Zacatecatl were a major addition to the Cuauchichil Alliance against the Spanish. Providing skilled nomadic warriors to the Cuauchichil War, they played a pivotal role in both intelligence gathering from Spanish depots and nocturnal warfare across the northern areas of Durango territories.

Modern Day

As assimilation and colonial forces moved into the Zacatecatl area throughout the last 400 years, the last remaining Zacatecatl vanished into modernity.

The brilliance and ancient heritage of the Zacatecatl has been immortalized in both the region's name and the ceremonial artifacts kept preserved out of respect for the warrior tribe.

Throughout the state of Zacatecas multiple heritage sites are kept in pristine condition to honor the ancient warriors.

The tribe's language is considered extinct and no genetic indicators of "pure" Zacatecatl ancestry can be found in the Mexican population.

However, recent archaeological research has led to a potential origin of the Zacatecatl people being direct descendants of the Toltec civilization.

Due to these two major factors, the ancient tribe joins so many other ancient peoples that remain immortalized in their history and untouched by modernity.

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Zacatecatl