“Actually,” Carlos said, “you couldn’t have arrived at a better time. From what we can gather, the newly discovered crypts that surfaced after the earthquake promise to provide exciting new information about their civilization. Of course, it’s far too early to tell, but we’re hopeful. This looks like it was hidden underground deliberately, which the Toltecs only did with their most valued sites—and it’s well south of Tula, so completely unexpected.”
“We’d be honored to see it as soon as possible,” Remi said.
“Let me call in the archaeologists who are heading up that dig. You’ll be working closely with them. They’re two of our best.” Carlos dialed his phone and spoke a rapid-fire stream of Spanish. “They’ll be here shortly. Maribela and Antonio Casuela. Brother and sister. Remarkable intellects and experts on the Toltecs.”
A soft courtesy knock sounded through the door a couple of minutes later. A tall woman in her early thirties entered, followed by a man around the same age. That they were siblings was obvious from their facial features. What neither Remi nor Sam was prepared for was how physically arresting they were. The woman’s long ebony hair seemed to gleam from its own light source, highlighting her smooth caramel-colored skin, high cheekbones, pearl-white teeth, and flashing chocolate eyes. The man was equally stunning, his strong jawline and rugged profile resembling that of a model or a cinema star rather than an academic.
The woman spoke first, extending her hand to Remi. “Señora Fargo. How nice to meet you. I’ve followed your exploits with delighted surprise for years.”
Carlos beamed at them. “Remi Fargo, this is Maribela Casuela.”
“The pleasure’s all mine,” Remi said, her eyes roving quickly over the woman’s flawless form, her sensible black slacks and red blouse hugging her curves in a way that most women only dreamed of.
“And you must be Sam Fargo,” Maribela said, offering her hand to Sam, her palm cool to the touch, her voice musical.
Sam could have sworn that a small electric current passed between them when their skin touched and quickly turned to the brother. “Antonio, right?”
“It’s a thrill. A real thrill,” Antonio said as they shook hands.
“But, please. Use our first names. I hate formality,” Remi said as the newcomers took the offered seats next to Sam.
Carlos filled them in on what the Fargos were interested in, and their eyes lit up at the mention of the recently unearthed crypts.
“It’s remarkable,” Antonio said. “We’ve both been inside, and the carvings alone will make for years of study. It seems as though there’s an interconnected series of tunnels to at least four burial chambers. We’ve already removed the mummies. The insight that this undisturbed find should offer is unique. I’m sure you’ll find touring it an amazing experience.”
“And, of course, you’re welcome to review everything we have on the Toltecs and Quetzalcoatl,” Maribela added, “although most of it is well covered in the academic journals, so there won’t be many surprises.”
“How is the area around the new discovery?” Sam asked.
Carlos frowned. “It’s controlled chaos. We’ve cleared the entry point and there are police guarding it, but the neighborhood is still a disaster area. Over a hundred people lost their lives in that colonia alone. Rudimentary services have yet to be restored, and there’s been some looting. Rescue teams are working through the buildings, but it’s not a good situation.”
“Is there any danger of pilfering of the tombs?” Remi asked.
“The hope is, no,” Antonio replied, “but the police are very poorly paid, so anything is possible. We’ve cataloged all of the precious items, and have an effort under way to move them here, but it’s slow going because we want to adequately document the state of the find. There’s a fine line, as you know . . .”
Remi nodded. “First, do no harm.”
Maribela eyed her. “And what is your background, may I ask? I think I read that you’re an anthropologist?”
“That’s correct, a physical anthropologist, although it’s been years since I was involved with academia. I much prefer being in the field, too.”
“Of course. There’s nothing like the thrill of being first, is there?”
“No. I’ve been very fortunate that my husband here shares that passion,” Remi said, clasping Sam’s hand possessively.
Antonio and Maribela gave them a tour of the artifacts and photos they’d amassed in the basement of the large building. Many of the items were already familiar to Sam and Remi from images on the Internet.
“One of our frustrations,” Maribela remarked, “is that the Toltecs didn’t have a written language, so any history is oral tradition recorded at a later date. And sporadic pictographs. But you can see by the glyphs they had an elaborate grasp of symbolism, although there is much disagreement as to how to interpret many of the images.”
Antonio nodded. “Just as there are conflicting accounts of the mythical ruler of the Toltecs, Ce Acatl Topiltzin, who is often referred to as Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl or just Quetzalcoatl. Over the years, the accounts have become so badly garbled it’s difficult to know what to believe. For instance, some insist he was a mythical figure with no basis in history. Others claim he was the first ruler of the Toltecs. Still others say that he was believed to have been the divine reincarnation of the original Quetzalcoatl, the premier deity of Mesoamerica.” Antonio pointed to a collection of carved depictions of a stern man with a large head and what appeared to be a beard.
“It’s all very confusing,” Sam agreed. “Especially the beard. Unknown among American native people, right?”
Maribela smiled. “Correct. And made more difficult by the few Spanish accounts of Aztec lore and the civilization’s history. We know that these were heavily altered versions of the oral tradition. Another problem is that there were no doubt some interpretation problems. Many of the existing documents were created by the Franciscan monks or the conquistadores, who quite simply botched the accounts.”
Antonio moved next to his sister. “Not to mention that some records were secreted away because they contradicted the official histories. We know the Spanish tended to remove anything that they thought might lead to legendary treasures. Not that it did them much good, but it shows a systematic
approach to looting the legacy of the Mayans and Aztecs for both financial gain and to curry favor with the King of Spain so that further expeditions could be funded.”