Mictlan: An Ancient Mythical Tale News

Kiti Shraan

The time has come for all of you to meet this hellish creature, Kiti Shraan.
Bringer of ravaging hurricanes and windstorms, it carried the heavenly waters to the mountains of Ñuu Dzahui, the country of the Mictecs, according to the Mixtec codex Tuya Tnoho.

Kiti Shraan came from the foam-covered waves and it inhabited the sacred waters of the Pacific Ocean: it was capable of wrecking houses, ravaging hills and exterminating people.

What kind of mission involving this mythical serpent will you face?

The Mictlan family thanks the “Town of the Rain” (now Teposcolula, Oaxaca) for their fascinating vision of the Mictec culture during the pre-Columbian era.

We are launching our Kickstarter campaign soon! (have you registered yet? It only takes a minute!)

Yohualtepoztli #3

The ones who dare to walk alone at night, might encounter one of the most frightening beings in Tenochtitlan: a humanoid creature, that has no head. Its chest is wide open: a revolting, bloody cavity displaying its heart, trapped in the ribcage.

You'll hear it coming, like an axe being driven into wood.
That's where the name of the Yohualtepoztli comes from: yohualli, “night”, and tepoztli, “axe”.

Faced with this creature, there's little you can to: either flee or try to rip its heart off its chest.

The destiny of whoever came upon it on the roads depended solely on the strength of their character.

You can see some of our concept art pieces here. And today, we have a little video to show you... do you dare watch it?

Click on the link below to see it!

♦️ https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=908307446524133

Tlacatecolotl

In the original Nahua, Tlacatecolotl means “Owl Man”: they are dark sorcerers, with the owl as their nagual (we talked about this here), a harbinger of death and ill luck.

They made a living from their malicious arts, usually cheating their victims, since they would cast spells on them only to charge exorbitant prices to lift the curses.
It’s not surprising then, that pre-Columbian authorities would persecute Tlacatecolotl, or even avoid their infamous services whenever possible.

In this WIP we can see the masked face of one of these fearsome necromancers, with his mask reminding of a great horned owl.

Legends, myths, facts, history: Mictlan has it all! We're aiming at including in our game the most incredible stories, and we will continue updating you with news, concept arts, sneak&peeks of our creative process, so make sure to follow us on our social media channels to stay updated!

Heart extraction

Sacrificial rituals featuring human heart extraction were a prevalent religious practice throughout ancient Mesoamerican societies, it was a way of establishing a mystic connection between humans and the gods.
Stories from both the oral tradition and chronicles of the time remark the importance of this practice: the sacrificed victims were either volunteers or prisoners captured in the Flower Wars.

Here is a concept art piece from our talented team:

Human sacrifices were usually performed at sunrise or at midday, in accordance with the belief that blood replenished the solar cycle that gives life to the world.
However, there was a very special ceremony that was performed at midnight.

The ritual of New Fire was celebrated every 52 years on the Huizachtepet, today called Cerro de la Estrella (Hill of the Star), on Iztapalapa, in order to bless the coming Period; in this ritual, a human victim was offered, but only after all the fires on all of Tenochtitlan and its surroundings were put out.

Once the sacrifice was completed, a fire was lit over the victim's head, which would then be shared throughout the city while everyone anxiously awaited the break of a new dawn, which would kickstart the next 52-years period and the endurance of the Fifth Sun.

💌 Follow us on our other social media channels to stay updated with the latest news!

We keep expanding Mictlan

Reconstructing the ancient mythical tales of ancient México, it’s not an easy task.

Our team of historians and archaeologists analyze the ancient monuments and historical evidence, then our concept art team reconstructs Mesoamerican iconography and architecture mixing historical and fantasy elements to give life to ancient Mesoamerica in the 16th century!

We’ve currently made over 85 real-life-looking humans, monsters and mythical creature characters.
We've also created dozens of ancient archaeological sites in Unreal Engine, sites from Tulum, Tenochtitlan, Tenochtitlan, Cholula and more, all within the expanded 45KM 2 square open-world map of ancient Mexico (soon expanding to Central America!)

All of this in just less than 1 year in full development, including a 15-minute gameplay video (have you seen it?)!
Not bad for an indie studio with a low budget. Our strength is our passion and our community!