Journey Through the Mirrors by T. R. Williams Read Free Book Online

of his pocket and inspected it. “Sorry, not sure what that sound is,” he said, pressing buttons until it went away. “Might be time for a new device.” He gave his PCD an annoyed look before putting it back into his pocket.
    Valerie joined Logan near the statue. “It looks like he’s praying,” she observed.
    “Yes,” Mr. Montez said. “Worship and rituals were important aspects of the Teotihuacán culture.”
    “Where did they get such a large block of Slyacauga?” Logan asked. “The only place I know of in the world where this stone is found is in the southern part of the former United States.”
    “I see you know your marble,” Mr. Montez said. “I can only assume it was transported here at some point.”
    “Has this level of detail been found in other statues or works of art here at Teotihuacán?”
    “Neither here nor anywhere else in this entire region,” Mr. Montez replied. “Toltec art has mostly depicted skulls and snakes etched and carved into walls. The images of Chac-mool, also known as the Leaning Man, were their primary sculpting expression. The era to which we have dated this piece was dominated by statues of the Atlantes.”
    “What are Atlantes?” Valerie asked.
    “They are the rough figures of men carved into tall, free-standing columns of stone,” Mr. Montez said. “You should visit Tula, the most important Toltec site in Mexico, and see them. It’s only about an hour’s car ride from here.”
    “They’re similar in style to the facial sculptures found on Easter Island,” Logan added, “but the Atlantes depict entire bodies.”
    “That is why this particular statue is so intriguing. The finely chiseled facial features and body parts are not typical of Mesoamerican sculpture in the first half of the first millennium, when Teotihuacán was a thriving civilization.”
    “This type of statuary belongs in Greece or Rome,” Logan suggested.“The figure’s hands appear to be raised in prayer, and his lips are slightly puckered, as if he is reciting something.”
    Valerie knelt down and looked at the statue’s black stone platform.
    “The platform is made of mica,” Mr. Montez explained. “Mica has been found throughout Teotihuacán—under the Pyramid of the Sun, in many tunnels and chambers. We even have a place here known as the Mica Temple. More important, we recently found a large amount under the Pyramid of the Moon. I and other archeologists believe that it was transported here, probably from northern Brazil, which is more than three thousand kilometers away.”
    “How could people in the first century do that? And why?” Valerie asked.
    “The mica wouldn’t enhance the structural integrity of the pyramids, but it has great electrical and thermal insulating properties,” Logan answered for Montez. “Mica is used by the electronics industry. It’s in all of our PCDs.”
    “That is correct,” Mr. Montez replied eagerly. “I believe that these pyramids not only could generate immense amounts of power but also could transmit and store the energy. Mica is not indigenous to this area.”
    Valerie bent way down, placing her head a few centimeters off the floor. “It looks like there is something written on the platform. Not sure what language this is.”
    “It is Nahuatl,” said Mr. Montez. “The phrase reads Tlamatini tetlaxintli quitzitzquia canahuac itapazol. Translated, it means, ‘The wise man of stone holds the nest of the snake.’ You’ll notice that there is an image of a coiled serpent on the surface of the platform.”
    Logan’s PCD vibrated; a new message had arrived. “Carlos, Jamie, and Jordan are exploring one of the caves under the Moon Pyramid as we speak.”
    “Wonderful,” Mr. Montez said. “Carlos is very well acquainted with that structure and the tunnels underneath it.”
    “Assuming that the pyramids were energy-generating devices,” Valerie resumed, “how did they turn them on?”
    “My theory proposes the existence of a