When Montezuma, the Aztec leader, received word that a bearded white man had arrived from the sea, he believed Cortez to be none other than Quetzalcoatl, returning as he had promised from the grave. Ignoring a series of foreboding omens from his Nagual (witches), the Aztec leader sent emissaries to escort the Spaniard and his army directly into the capital city of Tenochtitlán, a near-impregnable island in the middle of Lake Texcoco. The stunned Spanish, impressed by the size of the city and its numerous temples and canals, were treated like gods. Feigning friendship, Cortez waited until the right moment, then ordered his army to attack, the bloody slaughter becoming the opening blow of an all-out war that would last more than two years.

Cortez eventually secured Mesoamerica for Spain, but it would take far longer for the Spanish priests to ‘conquer’ the peoples of Central America. To the Spanish, the Maya and Aztec were godless pagans who worshiped deities that could only be allies of the Devil. Kukulcán’s codices (and their warnings of impending doom) were burned, his followers converted to Christianity—under penalty of torture.

In reality, the dichotomy between good and evil, God and the Devil was completely alien to Mesoamerican Indians. Before the Spanish invasion, the closest divine being comparable to Satan was Tezcatilpoca, considered to be the god of night and patron of witches. The ‘mirror that smokes’ was the lord of sin and suffering and the inventor of fire, but he was not the Devil.

At least, not until the Spanish priests arrived.

To promulgate Christianity in Mesoamerica, the priests had to teach their ‘ignorant pupils’ that the universe was divided into forces of good (God) and forces of evil (Satan). Any act deemed unacceptable was naturally considered evil. Evildoers thought to have conspired with the Devil were branded witches, and witchcraft in New Spain would not be tolerated.

The Holy Office of the Inquisition in New Spain was quickly established, and soon thereafter Mesoamerican tribal members were brought to trial and convicted of being witches.

By bringing the Devil and witchcraft to the forefront, the Catholics inadvertently helped it to flourish. Secret societies formed among the conquered Mesoamericans, with the larger cities becoming centers of sex and sin. Satan (appearing in the form of a goat) played host to witch parties. Pacts were made with the Devil. Black magic was introduced and passed from one generation to the next.

Where there was once innocence, sorcery now thrived. Thanks to the invading white man, fear of the Devil had become a real thing.

Etienne Rafelo arrived in Mexico in the fall of 1533, his mission: To spread the seeds of the ‘dark forces’ throughout the New World. His travels would lead him to Tecospa, a small Nahuatl Indian village situated across the mountains from Morelos. Here he would meet an Aztec leader named Motecuma, whose maternal ancestors were direct descendants of Quetzalcoatl, a member of the brotherhood of the Guardian.