Ilhuiyoco
| Ilhuiyoco | |
| Flag | Coat of arms |
|---|---|
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[[File:|100px]] |
| Motto: N/A | |
| Anthem: N/A | |
| Locator map | |
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| Capital city | Tepoztepeca |
| Largest city | Xumalincan |
| Official language | Mahuiztla |
| Other languages | |
| Ethnic group | |
| Religion | Remembrance |
| Demonym(s) | Ilhuiyocan |
| Government | |
| Government Type | Confederate Absolute Monarchy |
| Tecuhpiltzin | |
| Chief Oracle | |
| Legislature | N/A |
| Establishment | |
| The Red Shield House creates a pan-coastal state | 4876 RH |
| Area | |
| Population | |
| Economy | |
| Economy type | Market economy |
| Currency | Tepozcacahuatl () |
| Other information | |
| Time zone | TBC |
| Driving side | left |
Ilhuiyoco was the most prominent name of a longstanding civilization in the southwest of Altaia, prior to colonization efforts from Anaria. It was predominantly known for its Great Houses (mecayoh, singular mecayotl), its honouring of ancestral spirits, and its considerable technological advancement—at least, compared to much of the rest of the world, if not to Anaria. Remains of Ilhuiyocan culture, in the forms of architecture, traditions, and local languages, persist to this day across the south of Altaia, and in the writing system of Chaska.
Etymology
Ilhuiyoco is a Mahuiztla word with the approximate meaning of "where the day is".
History
Prehistory
The Pan-Altaians arrived on the continent of Altaia relatively late in the historical record, perhaps a mere 27,000 years before the present day. Still, they spread quite quickly over the continent, and by around 20,000 years before the present day they had passed all the way to the southwest. It would be some time—another 4,000 years or so—before they would begin the next crossing, through into D'Runia.
Maize was domesticated, ironically enough, shortly after the crossing, around 12,000 years before the present day. This would become the staple crop for many in Altaia and elsewhere, including the predecessors to the Iztomal people.
Archaic Era (Before 1200 RH)
Permanent villages became established during this time, as did pottery and loom-weaving. Agriculture in the form of the "three sisters"—maize, beans, and squash—became more common across the continent as a whole.
Preclassical Era (1200-2800 RH)
Various developments occurred during this period, including large-scale architecture, cities, and even writing. The earliest work with arsenic bronze up in the subtropical mountains was also recorded, although obsidian remained the weapon of choice. (This is where the stereotype of the lame blacksmith comes from in local cultures, a fundamental figure in many mythologies.) The mountain cities also domesticated the llama at this time.
Classical Era (2800-4000 RH)
This period is largely marked by the flourishing of the Tzu people, who pioneered many of the technologies used by the later Zolintlacs. The Tzu, from the jungles further to the east, expanded west as their civilization grew, on the basis of "democracy by foot"—if one disliked the regime under the current monarch, there was nothing to stop them from travelling elsewhere to found a new city. Sometimes cities also sent out direct colonies, seeking a particular resource.
The Tzu were known, among other things, to practice human sacrifice as a propitiation of the gods. It is noteworthy, however, that apparently such sacrifices were all volunteers, at least according to contemporary records. One had to give oneself willingly over to the gods, it was believed—otherwise, the sacrifice was no better than slaughter. There were also sacrifices that led not to death but merely "to pain", the symbolic torturing (again of volunteers) to determine at what point a man (or, on occasion, a woman) would cease to have control over their body, and so to determine more about what it was possible to survive. In this way the Tzu also gained an invaluable knowledge of human anatomy, which is reflected in medical texts reproduced by the Ilhuiyocans over four thousand years later.
Among other things, this era sees the beginning of the Long Count Calendar, in markings on stelae in the jungles. Based on a cycle of years and days alike, it is still the primary calendrical system in use in modern Chaska, as well as other regions nearby. The creation of a universal calendrical system was invaluable to such pursuits as astronomy, for particular events of which there are multiple records on stelae across the region.
What caused the end of this era is largely unknown.
Postclassical Era (4000-5438 RH)
This period marked the first occurrence in Gothan history of any large-scale empires from the Zolintlacs. Divided into mecayoh or lineages (often translated as Houses), they spread across the collapsing territories of the Tzu empires, establishing petty kingdoms all along the coast. They also possessed tin, which could be used to create tin bronze—stronger and less dangerous to make than the arsenic bronze of earlier civilizations.
The collapsing Tzu city-states maintained a certain sense of pride in their ancient knowledge, with communities guarding and recopying codices as a matter of tradition, or else passing down memorizations of the information contained within them. Many Zolintlac chiefs captured or outright destroyed these texts, but many were also left as was—or copied, along with the "new" writing system taught and redeveloped from these selfsame codices.
It was only with the ascension of the House of Red Shield in 4876 that the various kingdoms became unified, with the Houses all taking their place under a single leader. And it would be another six hundred years before various civil wars, outside invasions, and cultural resurgences could be settled, and a true empire coming into being under tecuhpiltzin Mixpoyactla of the House of Green Fire, ruling from the city of Tepoztepeca, in the year 5438.
Imperial Era (5438-7457 RH)
One of the longest-lasting empires in history, Ilhuiyoco became a monolith of culture and ideas the likes of which had not been seen on Altaia before. During this nearly 2,000-year period, the empire advanced from a relatively primitive Bronze Age kingdom to an iron-using, highly literate society, which claimed to be the heart of the universe and had little reason to believe otherwise. House followed House in a great procession of dynasties, each creating a period during which the empire flourished, then falling back into obscurity as flower wars allowed new Houses to take the tecuhtequitl, the "labour of the lord", upon themselves. There was a genuine sense of continuity involved—helped considerably by the creation of a new calendar, which took as its starting date the ascension of Mixpoyactla to the throne of the empire and continued from there. This calendar, a variation on the already-existing Long Count, was used across the Ilhuiyocan dominions.
Ilhuiyocan records also show the rise and fall of a number of other empires. Huilcasonco sees its first international record in their archives, as does the Tsuki Integrality to the south. Such neighbours were tolerated so long as a certain tribute was paid—in exchange for which marvellous goods could be provided, including cotton, mechanical devices, even an education.
Collapse (7457-7465 RH)
Unfortunately for the Houses, the presence of outsiders led not to unity but to competition, each seeking new trade deals with the powers and willing to squabble amongst one another to do so. The tecuhpiltzin was equally required to make such alliances—and thus factions began to evolve once again among the Houses, with some supporting one power, some supporting another, some pushing for complete isolation and independence, and so on. It took a mere seven years to shatter Ilhuiyoco beyond repair.
The deposition of the last tecuhpiltzin in 7465 was less of a death blow and more of an epitaph to a once great empire, now several smaller factions once again, under the control of colonial powers far beyond their borders.
Economy
One of the most important items to come from Ilhuiyoco is cocoa, traditionally used by the Tzu and later the Iztomal as a drink of great importance. Cocoa beans were even a currency for much of history, prior to the introduction of the copper stamp.
The southern reaches of the continent have some fairly heavy reserves of coal, which was burned ceremonially, and iron, which was useful for other purposes. The hills in the northwest of the empire were choice locales for tin and copper, which gave the earliest Zolintlacs a boost over the older cultures. Silver, too, was considerably developed by the local cultures—and often traded, along with cast iron, for the gold of the civilizations just across the Strait.
Culture
The Great Houses
The Great Houses—mecayoh in Mahuiztla, singular mecayotl—formed the basis not only of societal structure but also of government.
Labour of the Lord
Key to understanding Ilhuiyocan culture is the consistent belief in what was called tecuhtequitl, or the "labour of the lord". A ruler was bound to two separate but instinctive duties. He was to treat all Great Houses as his own—and he was to ensure the sovereignty and security of his own House. For many tecuhpiltin or emperors, this meant cultivating a persona of absolute power, despite this being tempered by a large and rather effective bureaucracy.
Remembrance
Achtonilnamicocatzin, the "noble remembrance of ancestors", formed the basis for the primary religion of Ilhuiyoco. The world being full of malevolent and mercurial spirits–the moon, for a start–it was considered essential that one maintain a strong connection with one's departed ancestors, who could counteract the other spirits and grant good fortune to their descendants.
A key element of this was that because the tecuhpiltin were theoretically supposed to be the paterfamilias figures for the entire empire (such as it was at the time), they could be asked for aid by anyone at all—and indeed they often had great temples dedicated to them after death. It apparently mattered very little (mostly) that they might be from a rival House; what mattered was the title. For this reason, they were also said to have been the chief gods of the Civil Service.
Remembrance is one of the Lizehanist religions, and formed much in the way of influence over certain sects of modern Guso.
Mahuiztla
The Mahuiztla language is perhaps the most important Iztomal dialect on record, being the source of its primary grammar, writing system, and prestige dialect. Although mutually intelligible to a more or less constant degree with other variations along the Strait, Mahuiztla was deemed the language of empire first and foremost, and other dialects have borrowed much from it. Today, however, it only survives in records; the most prominent dialect still spoken is Izto, a simplified variant found in modern Sokoku.