Hiiii! I was wondering if you have any resources for Mesoamerican mythology that’s good? Can be a website or book or anything really. Trying (desperately) to reconnect with my culture.
Hi!! So, so sorry for not answering sooner, but life happened lol. I’m struggling finding resources myself, considering that many were destroyed (thanks to colonization), or they were traditionally shared orally within our cultures. Some of the best resources I’ve found are often anthropology and history books, but I highly recommend doing research into the authors as well, and determine for yourself whether you trust them or not. From my own personal list here some:
Books:
Aztec & Maya: The Complete Illustrated History by Charles Phillips
The Oxford World Mythology by David Leeming
Mythology: Myths and Legends of the World by Dr. Alice Mills
Goddess Stories: Discover their mythology by Alison Davies (Has some Aztec and Native American goddesses, a Brazilian one too!)
Deck:
The Nahualli Animal Oracle Deck by Caelum Raineri and Ivory Andersen
YouTube:
Native American author Edgar Martin del Campo shares lessons from the indigenous religions, cultures, and languages of North to South Americ
Websites:
Mexicolore
AztecCalendar.com provides a reading of the significance of any given day and presents the relevant gods or protectors according to the Azte
Discover your destiny with the Mayan astrology calculator. Unlock insights about your personality and life path.
It’s a small list, but I hope it helps! I’ll also be doing some more digging and try making more posts about the gods of the Mexica :)
Mesoamerica appears to be a hotspot of pre-Columbian vampire activity, probably because the writers thought Aztec vampires were really cool. I mean, even the previously mentioned proto-Coast Salish Mictlantecuhtli ended up in Mexico (and is still there). I will go forward in this write-up assuming this has a lore reason. Also, the Aztec / Nahua make up the bulk of the representation. Assumedly either there are other Legacies unwritten or these Legacies may have gone by different names in different regions pre-colonization before consolidating in modern nights.
(The Children of Tenochtitlan - Cults of the Blood Gods; 2021)
The Drowned of Mesoamerica enjoyed relative power and ability to operate somewhat openly, akin to European Kindred prior to the First Inquisition. They achieved this through infiltration of human society, forming loyal Blood Cults to them that helped shelter them from reprisal. Some powerful Drowned even secured places as kings or other rulers. This allowed them to flourish, gain followers and ghouls, and to proliferate. Their stability crucially afforded them safety against the Garou (werewolves) and Bastet (werecats) of the region, a luxury that Drowned north and south of them did not have.
In modern nights the Drowned of Mesoamerica are reduced in number and power, as are all Drowned, suppressed by the Cainites that now run rampant across the continent. Despite this, the Drowned here have maintained some of their presence and all Kindred in the metropolitan areas of Mexico are familiar with at least a few Drowned. With the collapse of many of the Sabbat's power structures this region and those to the south, the Drowned have taken this opportunity to expand their influence once again. These Legacies have also spread out into North, Central, and South America.
Pisanob
(Pochtli Pisanob - Clanbook: Giovanni Revised; 2001)
The Pisanob are a Bloodline currently associated with Clan Hecata and formerly a member of Clan Giovanni. In canon they are said to have originated in the 16th century when Clan Giovanni embraced a group of Mexica necromancers, who went on to be led by an unrelated Drowned named Pochtli who came from an undescribed Legacy. They also lampshade the fact that Pisanob is a Mayan name given to Nahuas by the Giovanni. In my Chronicles I personally retcon this, making the Pisanob a pre-existing Drowned Legacy in Mexico prior to colonization, made up by both Mayan and non-Mayan vampires. Either way, the Pisanob were and are spirit-workers. They practice a form of necromancy with roots deep into Mesoamerican tradition, predating the heights of the Maya. Rumor has it that they keep some blasphemous rituals away from the rest of their wider clan, rituals involving carving the hearts from Kindred and sacrificing them to dark powers. As members of Clan Hecata their Disciplines, Bane, and Compulsion are already determined but I imagine that prior to the Family Reunion they suffered from a corpse-like appearance, like Pochtli did, and perhaps some of them still have this Bane instead of the Painful Kiss.
Tlacique
("Illustration by Alyne Leonel", Sobre os Tlacique, cainitas nativos da América Pré-colombiana em Vampiro A Máscara)
The Tlacique are masters of both Protean, taking the form of jaguars, and of Blood Sorcery, which they call Nahuallotl. Before Spain's arrival they would set themselves up as leaders of Blood Cults, demanding human sacrifices from their followers and openly ruling when possible. These nights their numbers are diminished but those that remain tend to be self-assured and arrogant, preferring to lead and using the Osiris predator type to feed. Tlaciques may find themselves in charge of corporations, cults, or criminal organizations - as a few examples. To play them in V5, I would consider the Clan Disciplines of Protean, Blood Sorcery, and Presence. Their Bane is the Setite/Ministry Bane, because in canon they are a minor bloodline of the Followers of Set. In my homebrew, however, they are unrelated to the Setites, and their Bane is that upon feeding their skin peels off for an amount of hours equal to their Bane Severity. This causes no damage but is an obvious Masquerade Breach. I call this Bane: Flayed; it is a reference to Xipe Totec, a God associated with fertility and rebirth who would flay himself to represent how seeds shed their shells, or the husking of corn. For their Clan Compulsion: they demand to be worshiped, similar to the Ventrue's need for control and obedience. This could be called God Complex.
Cipactli
("Art by Luis Eduardo, original for Brazil in the Darkness." CIPACTLI, LOS GUARDIANES HAMBRIENTOS)
The Cipactli are described as a crocodile cult, a reflection of the Ministry's snake cult tendency. While the Tlaciques are officially a Setite Bloodline, the Cipactli fill that roll cleaner. I imagine them sneakier than the Tlacique, who are quite open with their desires. The Cipactli form secret cults, infiltrate villages, and perform mass sacrifices on unwilling victims. For Clan Disciplines consider taking the Ministry's standard kit of Obfuscate, Presence, and Protean (used for crocodilian traits). My homebrew Bane is Aquatic Slumber: the Cipactli can only sleep when surrounded by water (floating or submerged). This references the Cipactli in mythology as a sea monster, the crocodile's association with earth floating in primeval waters, and to the chinampa floating gardens. If not submerged they take superficial Willpower damage equal to their Bane Severity (as opposed to the aggravated taken by the Tzimisce because this seems more difficult. You may want it to be aggravated if you want the consequences to be stricter). The Ministry's Compulsion of Transgression, or the Gangrel's Compulsion of Feral Impulses both seem to fit them, depending on if you'd prefer to lean into the cult forming or crocodillian nature. Brasil in the Darkness gives them a custom Discipline named Torrent that allows them to access the River of Souls. If you choose to take this, I'd replace Obfuscate.
Titlacauan
("Art by Luis Eduardo, original for Brazil in the Darkness." TITLACAUAN, LOS REFLEJOS HUMEANTES)
The Titlacauan are socialites, involved in the politics of the wealthy and the powerful. This puts them in a social role within pre-Columbian vampire society similar to the Toreador or Ventrue. They are described as having power over reflective surfaces, which in previous editions would certainly be a unique Discipline, if the writers had chosen to give them more than two paragraphs of description. A homebrewed Discipline could still work, maybe called Tezcatl (Nahuatl for mirror, though this is actually a Discipline name for a later Legacy). Brazil in the Darkness calls their unique Discipline Umbral. Alternatively you could give them something like Oblivion and homebrew abilities locked behind the Titlacauan Legacy or a Loresheet. The Tezcatl powers would allow the user to look through reflections, manipulate them, and eventually move through them. Suggested Clan Disciplines: Tezcatl, Dominate, Potence. Their Bane is that they emit a trail of salty smoke from their head and shoulders when they Frenzy. Their Compulsion is Fanaticism: they have the desire to praise those of higher position, suffering a penalty until they have sufficiently done so.
Tlahuelpuchi
(Efrain, Luminous Vampire - Hunter: the Reckoning Core Rulebook, 2022)
The Tlahuelpuchi are known from one villain in the Hunter the Reckoning core rulebook, and they are heavily associated with fire. Efrain, our Tlahuelpuchi, is able to wield fire, is immune to it, and can even turn into a cloud of flaming mist. Understanding that he was designed as boss, lets tone that back into a fire based custom Discipline or a Path of Blood Sorcery. Lets call it Pyromancy, with powers including reducing the user's vulnerability to fire (they take superficial damage instead of aggravated perhaps), the ability to breathe fire, and turning into that fiery mist (Amalgam with Protean). Suggested Clan Disciplines: Pyromancy (or Blood Sorcery), Protean, and Presence. Their Bane could be Luminous, where they glow in the dark - an orange/red throbbing glow like there's fire inside them. Alternatively it could be Burning Kiss, similar to the Hecata's but the bite of a Tlahuelpuchi burns as if the victim's veins were aflame, dealing aggravated damage. In nights of old the Tlahuelpuchi were able to use their Pyromancy to make themselves into religious figures - so luminous they made the sun itself jealous and so had to keep to the night to avoid his burning rays. Other Drowned, and eventually Cainites too, envied the Tlahuelpuchi's ability to shrug off fire that would send any other Kindred into the Rötschreck, or straight to their Final Death. The Tlahuelpuchi jealously guarded their Discipline, which required special knowledge to unlock. This infuriated the newly arrived Cainites who hunted them near to extinction. To this day, the Luminous Ones are rarer than other Drowned.
Nahualli
(Nahualli icon - Bloodlines: The Hidden, 2005)
In addition to these, Vampire the Requiem has a Bloodline called the Nahualli. VtR is not canon to VtM, but many Masquerade Clans made their way into Requiem so I don't see anything wrong with having that reverse. The Nahualli are a play off Mesoamerican magic users by the same name, who were believed to be able to channel a connection to their "tonal counterpart", a spiritual aspect that every person has but only some can access. The Nahualli in vampire sees these tonal aspects as the Beast and the Conscience, and are adept at controlling their Beast through a custom Discipline called Tezcatl, which is what I named the mirror Discipline for the Titlacauan. I would rename this Tonalli, meaning soul. Their Clan Disciplines are Tonalli, Auspex, and Fortitude. Their Bane is that they have difficulty controlling their Beast when not using their signature Discipline, suffering penalties to avoid Frenzy. These Drowned see themselves as scholars into the vampiric condition, obsessed with understanding it better. In the Brasil in the Darkness' worldview they would heavily study the paths of Apeker and Guyra. Upon being exposed to the Cainite concepts of the Beast and Humanity - as well as the many alternate Paths outside of Humanity that some Kindred have developed - many Nahualli attempt to use this expanded understanding to further their research into their place in the world, what it all means, and what exactly should be done about it. Some seek to cure their condition, others to transcend it, and others still to control and wield it like a weapon. Their Compulsion could be: Scholarly: something around you has piqued your curiosity and you are compelled to study it.
YOU GUYS LOOK AT THIS AMAZING COMMISSION THAT @sofiaruelle DID FOR ME OF MY BOSS AND THE NAHUALLI !!! I AM FREAKING OUT! I LOVE IT SO MUCH!
Thank you so much to Sofia for this, because she is so incredibly talented and really made my first experience in commissioning art a fun one! She is so kind and easy to communicate with, and I loved hearing from her and getting updated on the progress of the photo. Thank you soooooo much Sofia!! Much love <3
Tagging again just to be extra sure ^-^ @sofiaruelle
