Sometimes in history, the stars align and everything works out exactly right according to one person’s perspective. On the other hand, the same alignment of heavenly bodies bring doom and destruction to the next person. This is a tale of an example of the latter type. You see, it pertains to the prophecy that the god was going to return to a certain group of people. And that returning god, at least in this case, brought with him certain death and the eradication of the group that believed in him.
What happens when you expectantly look for your god to return in the fulfillment of prophecy, but then, when he does return, you are not only disappointed, but you are also destroyed?
To understand the prophecy clearly, we have to travel to the ancient past, when the first stories of this god appeared. It seems that the god had been banished by other gods from the homeland of the people for reasons that had become shrouded in mystery over the centuries. Most stories centered around his having to perform a series of Herculean tasks and the travel far and wide across the earth before being allowed to return to his homeland. The prophecy said that he was destined to return one day–that much was certain. Then, fast-forwarding to the 16th Century, it seemed to the people that their god had finally finished his sojourn and decided to return to his people.
That’s because all the stories of the traveling god–his appearance and where he came from and even the time of year he would return–all converged into one major event that happened to this group of extremely religious people. The prophecies said he would come from the east. They said that he would be wearing feathers. The further said that the god would have a beard, a feature that the genetics of this particular group of people didn’t have. He would bring with him mythical animals they had never seen, either. Additionally, the god was predicted to return in the Year of the Reed, and that’s when the god did appear. Finally, the god was said to return to the homeland on a boat unlike any the people had seen or imagined, a boat that featured metal on its sides like a porcupine.
Within two years, this god not only destroyed the capital city of this culture, a city that had approximately 250,000 citizens in it, but he and his small group of fewer than 500 seemingly minor deities completely eradicated the society itself. While it seems to be a work of fiction, I assure you this was the case. How did this happen? Well, when the god arrived in what is now Mexico, he completely ignorantly and inadvertently fulfilled the Aztec prophecies. He came from the east, certainly, but he also sported a feathered helmet, he sat astride a creature we call a horse, he happened to arrive in the correct time frame, and his warship bristled with cannons on its sides.
And that’s why Montezuma, the Aztec Emperor welcomed the Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortes and his soldiers into the capital city without putting up any fight.
After all, wouldn’t you let god come into your home?
The Rest of the Story 