XOCOATL

Moctezuma, the fierce Aztec emperor, was sitting alone in the balcony, overlooking the lake Texcoco in Tenochtitlán. The humid scent of smoke, spice and vanilla wafted up to him from the humming central market. A golden goblet full of liquid chocolate was resting on emperor’s palms. After taking a generous sip, Moctezuma gazed into the goblet, trying to read the chocolate froth as if it were a portal into the future. At the same time, the ambitious Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés was finalizing the details of the siege of Tenochtitlán he would soon lead, terminating the Aztec empire’s rule forever…