Mictlan: An Ancient Mythical Tale News

We have a surprise for those who are signing up to our Kickstarter campaign: exclusive access to the most popular pre-Columbian culture strategy game: the Patoli.

Patolli was played by Mesoamerican groups such as the Teotihuacans, Toltecs, Mayas and Aztecs. It was played from about 200 BCE until the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors and their conquest of the Aztec Empire in the early 1500s CE. The game was very popular across all social strata: there were even matches held between the rulers of neighboring villages.

The Patoli is played on a board with a diagonal-shaped cross, divided in 52 boxes that represent the Mayan calendar wheel (related to “Fuego Nuevo” – New Fire), and the “Huehuetiliztli" (104 year cycle). Black beans with a hole drilled in one side were used as dice; this is why patolli is sometimes called the bean game. The aim is to complete a full lap of the board with their pieces before the other player.

The game had a strong focus on gambling, people would bet their precious objects, possessions and even their freedom.

Aare you curious to try this ancient game?






If you're enjoying seeing how Mictlan is developing and you would like to see more of our game, please support us by registering on Kickstarter and follow Mictlan: An Ancient Mythical Tale!

Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec empire, was founded by the Aztec or Mexica people around 1325 C.E. According to legend, the Mexica founded Tenochtitlan after leaving their homeland of Aztlan at the direction of their god, Huitzilopochtli. Huitzilopochtli instructed them to build their city in the location where they saw an eagle perched on a cactus while eating a snake.

This would be the signal that they had found their home.

We're bringing Tenochtitlan back to life in Mictlan: An Ancient Mythical Tale, so that you'll enjoy its bustling heart and street life, wandering around, interacting with the environment and with all the people inhabiting the place.

After our research phase involving articles, writings, stories, codices etc. we create every spot and building planning it out with careful consideration and with a great level of detail, guided by the mood board precedently created to choose the right colors, shapes and details which help us give our creations a sense of authenticity.

[h3]Are you excited about the idea of walking around the great capital of the Aztec civilization?

Leave us a comment![/h3]



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!

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Xelhua is a controversial mythical figure. According to the texts of Torquemada "From other opinions of how these lands were populated", Xelhua was the first son of the couple who survived the universal flood, Iztac Mixcuatl and Llantecuhtli.

Xelhua was one of the seven giants in Aztec mythology who escaped the flood by ascending the mountain of Tlaloc in the terrestrial paradise and afterwards built the Tlachihualtepetl or pyramid of Cholula.

Christian chroniclers found in his figure an allusion to the mythical King Nimrod, builder of the Tower of Babel, and even saw in the ruins of Tlachihualtepelt what remained of this mythical tower, Xelhua being associated with the arrogance of standing above the divine.

To this day there are still discrepancies about the true identity of Xelhua, whether he was a giant or if he was the founder of the city of Cholula. Nevertheless, we wanted to maintain fantastic elements in his appearance, so we imagined him as a giant, with references to Tlaloc (The Rain God).

We would like our entire Mictlan's community to help us choose a new logo for Mictlan: An Ancient Mythical Tale.

The logo you see in the images below is our proposal, in which we tried to include several fundamental elements of our game plot and story.

The horizontal line represents the mouth of Cipactli, the terrestrial monster that devours the dead on their journey descending into Mictlán.

The metallic color of the letters alludes to the arrival of iron with the Spanish conquest.

The golden highlights in the letters "M" and "N" represent the four cardinal points.
[h3]
🎨 If you are an artist and you would like to help us create Mictlan's new logo, now it's the time!
Send us your proposal through our official channels, the winner will be announced at the end of the month![/h3]

Macuilxochitl: from the concept art to the render version!

Macuilxochitl, the god of excess and overindulgence, patron of the artists, has a full body paint in red, a yellow band and a white design over his mouth, representing the number 5 (Five flowers, as the meaning of his name).

The headdress he's wearing was inspired by Codex Magliabechianus, and consists of a red headband embroidered with green stones and a golden xochitl (flower) glyph. The top is decorated with silex knives and quetzal feathers.
The chest ornament features the same green stone with a pending trophy jaw holding the obsidian mirror from Codex Borgia associated with Tezcatlipoca.
















If you're enjoying seeing how Mictlan is developing and you would like to see more of our game, please support us by registering on Kickstarter and follow Mictlan: An Ancient Mythical Tale!