Ohtli Oztomeca
Ohtli Oztomeca
Ohtli Oztomeca
Hi, I'm Ohtli. I'm twenty-two and I've lived in the city of Texcoco all my life, with my mother and younger brother, Itotia. It is an amazing place, filled with culture and education, and I love it with all my heart. We own a small plot of chinampas on Lake Texcoco, where we grow maize, beans, and squash. I had a relatively easy childhood, and I owe that to my father. He is an very talented international guild merchant, and he would bring more cacao beans, Aztec's sort of unofficial currency, than I could count after he came back from weeks of trading expeditions. He would tell me stories of the luxurious goods that he got to handle, items as exotic and important as jaguar skins, turquoise, and gold. Because of him, it has become my dream to leave our little home in Texcoco and go out into the dangerous and unpredictable world of trade. I hope to make my way to Tenochtitlan, the powerful capital of the Aztec empire that I have heard countless stories about. It is located in the middle of Lake Texcoco, so all I have to do is take a canoe east across the lake. I can't wait to reach Tenochtitlan; maybe I'll find my father! I feel like I was born to be a merchant. My first name does mean "road", so maybe I was!