article on Aztecs

[CCBtlevine at aol.com]

In a message dated 8/7/99 9:05:00 AM EST, nahualli at highfiber.com writes:

<< 4) native belief of the Spanish as Gods,

 This depends upon the definition of "gods." The Florentine Codex uses
 "teotl" as a description of the Spaniards. The blacks with them were
 "teucacatzactic" which I understand to be black gods or dirty gods - with
 reference to their dark skin. >>

Simeon's dictionary shows cacatzac an adjective meaning black, not dirty.  It
shows cacatzactli for a black person.  I am not certain of the root.  But, it
may come from cacahuatl, meaning cacao.  I can't find anything that would
indicate, in Nahuatl, that the root has anything to do with dirt.  Do you
know of anything?  In other words, they, the black spaniards, would seem to
be the chocolate colored gods rather than the dirty gods.  Perhaps another
myth should be destroyed.