Aztec Mythology in the Modern World Series Idea

So I had this butterfly pic legal from Pixabay and I wanted to use it somewhere...so I wikied butterfly and found that, in Aztec Mythology, there is this warrior goddess called Itzpapalotl. According to our good friend Wikipedia, Itzpapalotl means "Obsidian Butterfly" or "clawed butterfly" and she is said to be "a fearsome skeletal warrior goddess who ruled over the paradise world of Tamoanchan, the paradise of victims of infant mortality and the place identified as where humans were created," (Wiki: Itzpapalotl).


And Wiki gives us a nice background mythology bit of Itzpapalotl and it's not exactly pretty...


You can read it if you like, or you can scroll past it to see the covers.


"According to the Manuscript of 1558, section VII, Itzpapalotl was one of two divine 2-headed doe-deers (the other one being Chimalman) who temporarily transformed themselves into women in order to seduce men. Itzpapalotl approached the two "cloud serpents named Xiuhnel [ˈʃiwnel] and Mimich [ˈmimit͡ʃ]", who transformed themselves into men (so as to disguise themselves when all the others of the Centzonmimixcoa had been slain in the ambush?). To Xiuhnel, Itzpapalotl said ""Drink, Xiuhnel." Xiuhnel drank the blood and then immediately lay down with her. Suddenly she ... devoured him, tore open his breast. ... Then Mimich ... ran and ... descended into a thorny barrel cactus, fell into it, and the woman fell down after him," (Wiki: Itzpapalotl).

Here's the link for the information: Wikipedia: Itzpapalotl

I don't really understand exactly where the blood came from and what woman fell down...but anyway.

Idea Behind the Cover: Itzpapalotl had been punished from killing men so she was locked inside some ancient stones in an Aztec ruin somewhere. One day, an archaeologist discovers these strange colored stones with intricate butterfly designs on them and brings them back to his lab. Taking of the stones or maybe some other trigger unlocks the cage that Itzpapalotl was locked in. She rises from the stones to take revenge on the sorcerers or the person who imprisoned her into the stones.

Time frame: Our modern world.

Place: Central Mexico, Aztec ruins, and maybe sometimes in the boarder towns in the U.S.

So, I thought what could be the sequel? I looked up how to say "blood" in Nahuatl and found that it was "Eztli".

Idea Behind the Cover: I tried to make it look bloodstained. And of course the butterfly represents Itzpapalotl. This whole book takes place during the revenge of Itzpapalotl and how the main characters, maybe the archaeologist is involved, counter the wrath of this warrior goddess. It becomes so devastating that at a point, the rivers run red with blood, hence "Rivers of Eztli". The book ends with it seemingly looking like there is no hope for anyone left.

This is actually two layers of the same butterfly. You can probably tell by the wings.

What is left after a fire burns? Ash.

Idea Behind the Cover: This is the last book in the Itzpapalotl series. The main character, maybe with help from someone, tries to find a way to defeat Itzpapalotl. They struggle and struggle until finally they find a way. They start the process, maybe some kind of ritual, hidden from Itzpapalotl. A sacrifice of something? Maybe some dark magic stuff? Finally Itzpapalotl goes up in flames and, near the end of the book, turns to ashes, falling down into the earth in the Aztec ruins. The ashes sink into the ground which also burns into ashes hence "Descend into the Ashes". Finally, the wrath of Itzpapalotl is over. The survivors left must rebuild the city or the area where they are.

THE END!