History of the family

by **Brianna Silverweb** Wed Jun 24, 2015 10:11 pm

History of the Avilés family and their tribe the Be'ena' Za'a

The Be'ena' Za'a society started back in 5100 BC as farmers in what is now the state of Tabasco, Mexico. It wasn't until 1600 BC that they emerged under the blanket tribe of the Olmec in San Lorenzo. The rise in concentrated numbers is largely attributed to a highly productive environment. It was also attributed to the transportation network provided by the Coatzacoalcos River. With the new found productivity the Olmec heartland saw a rise of an elite class. At the center of this elite class sat a single family, the Avilés. Some of the populace assigned this elite group the name Be'ena' Za'a, which stuck through many moves and many changes. This group was regarded as the pioneers of the extensive trading network that was largely exclusive to them and those that could pay a high price. They traded many things, but the things they are known for trading most are jade, obsidian, and magnetite. A few of the more fiercely loyal followers of the elite class, possibly those vying for seats within the group, moved to various points along the trade rivers to help the network thrive; one of those cities being Teopantecuanitlan in Guerrero.

The main bulk of the group remained in the city of San Lorenzo up until around 900 BC when they were forced to find a new home. The environment was changing around their once home and the rivers they depended on to flourish were moving. The Be'ena' Za'a society and their growing society settled in the city of La Venta and was prospering again by 950 BC. Be'ena' Za'a had acquired immense wealth and social power by now and their new home began to show that in their architecture and monuments.

With the determination for growth in all things, including but not limited to wealth, power, land, and knowledge, a portion of the head family broke away from the rest moving to take resident in the central valleys of Oaxaca around 600 BC. They first settled in one of the valleys, later called San José Mogote. They had a fairly steady incline of population but they weren't fairing well on the wealth front. When the leader died his three sons a year apart from each other in age quarreled for his seat of leadership. Their quarrels caused two of the brothers to rally up support and leave San José Mogote. They settled in nearby valleys leaving a "no man's land" in between their three settlements. This further stunted the growth of their societies. This split further changed the blanket name the world gave their growing populace to the Zapotec culture, completely parting with much of what they knew from their Olmec background.

The three settlements saw very little growth until the remaining family that had stayed in La Venta, migrated over to try and help bolster things. They couldn't have their names attached to something lacking most of their core values. The addition of the rest of their family still did little to cool tempers between siblings. Disputes between other family members joined the fray of problems when word came that shortly after leaving La Venta the leader they left in charge had died without leaving an heir to that rule. The word came on the backs of a number of La Venta populace joining the settlement in San José Mogote. The group and all their followers melted into the growing societies, forsaking most of the ties that linked them to the Olmec heartland.

With the whole society in one region the brother's quarrel began to cool and in 700 BC one of the last things two of the brothers did was squash their differences. San José Mogote and the smaller settlement in the Etla valley combined forces when rumor made it into Be'ena' Za'a that a rising militant force was nearby. The rumor was that an army of varying serpents and serpent kind like the naga was amassing under a common human leader that had control of the legendary Feathered Serpent. Knowing that they were better off together the two populations moved up into the "no man's land" that their bickering had left untouched. As soon as the foundations for the new city were built the brothers died, leaving their blooming and threatened city in the capable hands of the new heir. The third brother remained steadfast in his hate for the others and kept his people in place. Ultimately, he died shortly after his brothers. Shortly after the loss of leadership, the population of the last settlement moved into the growing city in the middle, which had been named Monte Albán. With renewed man power the Be'ena' Za'a continued working on making the city battle ready.

The Avilés ever searching for more knowledge, power, and wealth, even as their people prepped for a battle that would never reach their doors, began expanding. They seized control over the provinces outside the valley of Oaxaca because none of them could compete with the valley of Oaxaca both politically and militarily. The leadership also used this time to infiltrate the nearby threat. Slowly they were able to turn their warriors against the opposing leaders. Ultimately, gaining those turned into the folds of Monte Albán. Within a few years, the threat had been reduced in number significantly and was not all that threatening any longer.

By 200 AD the populace under Avilés stretched from from Quiotepec in the North to Ocelotepec and Chiltepec in the South. They had become the largest city in what today is the southern Mexican highland. Monte Albán remained the largest city up until 700 AD. At that time the leader of the Avilés insisted on a migration north. He would tell no one why it needed to happen, just that it needed to. The main group within Be'ena' Za'a and a fair number of their lieges faithfully started the journey north with hardly any fuss. A single member of the royal family was left in Monte Albán to continue the rule there. In 770 AD, the war started and the magic they tribe depended on to continue their migration smoothly began to backfire on them, creating more hardship than ease.

What they thought was going to be a quick jaunt north, turned into more trouble than most of their numbers could handle. Attackers hit them hard as the opposing forces spread themselves over the continents. The brunt of their troubles came in 798 AD. As the corrupt forces realized where to find the means to unlocking the power in the islands, they turned almost all their focus on the Be'ena' Za'a and the other tribes headed for the islands.

In 800 AD, the tribe finally wandered onto the islands. War torn and hurting in numbers because of it, they didn’t bring many to the fold. Those they did bring brought immense amounts of knowledge. As the other groups fended the foes off, the Be'ena' Za'a tribe got to work building better shelter and defenses. Some of the tribe did join the others in battle, but most stuck around the camps. As another tribe joined them, they were tasked with making accommodations and getting the leader caught up into what was happening.

With a few years of everyone trying to boss everyone around and tribes knocking elbows it became apparent that a head leader was necessary. The Avilés family prepped to step into that role, but before they could the Ulfrnson family, sitting at the head of the Rannuflr tribe took that step. Claiming ties with the gods, claiming they were chosen to lead the motley bunch of tribes, they asked all the leaders to take an oath and swear fealty to them. Miffed about missing their chance, the tribe held back from pledging their support. They weren’t stupid though, they knew that the chances of winning this battle alone or divided was slim to none. So, as a few tribes stepped forward, they followed suit. Before long they all stood together as a united front, though the magic still remained unpredictable.

Nothing is forever though and after the long reign of the Ulfrnson leadership came to an end. The Avilés family took their chance. Even after they had been too little, too late the first round, they continued to prepare to try and seat one of their own into the King position. As the opportunity presented itself, the family ushered a worthy successor into the light. They weren’t the only one to do so though. The Hōr family was quick to set a member of their family up for the role. The leadership swiftly tumbled into inner feuds between tribes.

Disaster was the only thing that could pull them out of their own problems and remind them of why they were all here. Over the span of four days, not only did they lose more than half their populace, but most of the tribe leaders were slain in their beds; few escaped with their life. The shock made the Avilés family take a real look around them. Instead of continuing the bickering, many helped the other tribes lay the dead to rest properly. When the next Ulfrnson, a kid king all of ten years old, stepped up there was very little fight from the Be'ena' Za'a. Those that did stick their nose up were very quickly put in their place.

Out of the devastation came a renewed connection not only to the land and magic within it, but to each other after the once again united group laid down arms to participate in several unifying rituals. The oaths given alongside the rituals caused the islands power to slowly awaken. At first, nothing outwardly changed but as time progressed and the group pushed forward, it was apparent that magic was coming back to their favor. The dreary light at the end of the tunnel brightened significantly.

With the end of the war in 870 AD, the Ulfrnsons made true on their godly connections. Freyja, came to the tribes of light and bestowed a artifact and a gift to each tribe. Entrusting the Be'ena' Za'a tribe with a weighted apetitude in their favored element of air. The Avilés family, sitting at the tribe head was given the purest form of this element, both to flow through their veins and within an artifact to connect them to the power source in Bohemia. Nothing is without a price and balancer though. A child would be born of one of the tribes, gifted with Freyja’s sight. This child would be taken from the family and tribe at a young age, living out the rest of their life studying in close observance of the Norse gods and learning the art of Siedr.

After the war, the Be'ena' Za'a tribe stuck around the islands long enough to help some of their own get settled in to stay. The set up of the Tribunal was more of a second priority to them at first. Until it dawned on them that this mingling of cultures would allow them an extensive knowledge many could only dream of. Migrating back towards Mesoamerica, they took their time returning. Traveling all the way to the west coast of modern day America, they soaked up as much culture and influence as they could. Setting foot on their homelands around 900 AD, they swiftly assimilated into what is now called Tula de Allende in Hidalgo. The hustle and bustle of the thriving city helped the group fall into place. The Avilés family rose quickly to adviser seats under the Toltec rulers.

Pushing for knowledge, the tribe helped expand into surrounding territories as well as lent their hand to the regions wars and conquests. It wasn’t until the 970’s, when the Toltec control over Yucatan spiraled and the region fell into anarchy, that the families shifted their weight and assets out of the leadership. Many retracted into taking up the scholarly roles within the city. A few of the more adventurous stayed as trusted advisers to the failing rulers.

None of their roles in society could keep them from traveling back to Bohemia though. Obligations to the Tribunal kept part of Avilés family traveling for much of their time. Over the years, more than not the Be'ena' Za'a took up a more permanent situation on the islands. Using the knowledge learned from the other tribes, they took to exploring. Taking to the seas, they found their way to modern day Spain, Africa, and Australia. They never stayed long though.

In 1122, tribesmen rushed back to Tula after word traveled of the city being burnt to the ground. Those that had been in the city did what they could to save records and the like, but the information was lost more than it was saved. The devastation didn’t stop at just ruining the cities records, it branched over to their food supplies and many cities in Mesoamerica fell into a famine. With the famine came wars between neighboring cities over the food and over the leadership. The Be'ena' Za'a wasn’t in a bubble, they fell prey to as much of the problems as everyone else did. The losses the suffered because of it though, sparked them and some people around them into an uprising.

With the loss of their home, the tribe split into three groups following each of the young sons of their leader. One migrated back to Bohemia, while another headed south to explore. The last wandered to the Valley of Mexico, settling as a nomadic grouping in Chapultepec. As the group tried to assimilate and rise through the ranks they were ousted from the area. The people of Chapultepec wanted nothing to do with their sort. The ruler of Culhuacan saw this and gave the group permission to reside in the empty barrens of Tizaapan. Trying again, they reached out to assimilate and rise in the culture. Marrying into the Culhuacan culture they successfully found themselves back where they wanted to be.

In 1323, after sitting as advisers to the ruler for nearly a hundred years, they lifted to ask the new ruler of Culhuacan for his daughters hand in marriage. Laying a promise out to him that if he gave her to them, they would make her the goddess Yaocihuatl. The process included sacrificing her for her to ascend, but that bit was left out of the deal that was struck. The ruler accepted and not long after that the Be'ena' Za'a group was expelled from the region after the Avilés priest came to a festival dinner wearing the daughter’s flayed skin.

Fleeing from the area just two short years later, the group settled on the west side of Lake Texcoco, close to where the city Tenochtitlan was being built. Soon, the group was joined by some of the group that had traveled south. The small settlement could not handle all of them though and much of the second group moved on to the north side of the island; creating a city called Tlatelolco. Over time the little city was absorbed into the Tenochtitlan culture, even with the lurking hatred from some locals. The group left on the west side soon migrated to the city, joining their tribesmen.

Life started to return to normal and the last group that had traveled to Bohemia for refuge returned, assimilating into life in Tenochtitlan. The Avilés family regained their good name, keeping many of their ritual practices under wraps. Few stepped up again to sit as advisors to the rulers, while more chose to work as teachers, explores and scholars. The assimilation into the culture helped them find their way into the city of Tlaxcala. The city was never conquered by the Aztecs, which initially drew the tribe. The Be'ena' Za'a tribe floated in and out of Tenchtitlan and its surrounding cities, keeping their main hubs in Tlatelolco and Tlaxcala.

Wrecked by yet another famine that lasted for four years in 1450, the families in each main region sat opposed to one another when the flower wars sparked up. The Avilés claim that they had a hand in the whole idea of the wars to begin with, but many of the other families dispute this along with some of the members of the Avilés family. With the flower wars acting as a way to gain sacrificial victims, not kill the Be'ena' Za'a happily fought against one another when the opportunity presented itself.

As the struggle of these wars became far more mortal and heated, some of the Be'ena' Za'a fled to hide behind the Aztec’s side. Those that remained did their best to pull away from the brunt of the wars. In 1519, when Spain pushed into Mexico, the Be'ena' Za'a left in Tlaxcala fell in behind the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés. The rest of the city was not as quick to step in behind him. At first the group cornered him, threatening to end the conquest before it really begun. They too though, soon came to follow the conquistador against the Aztecs.

As tensions boiled up between the Spaniards and the Aztecs, the Be'ena' Za'a tried to remain loyal to the Spanish cause, but going against many of their own cultures traditions as well as some of their own people was hard on the lot of them. These tensions reached and all time high when things spiraled out of control during the festival of Tóxcatl. The Spaniards didn’t want to see human sacrifice in the festival; however that was a large part of the rituals that needed to take place. The Be'ena' Za'a on both sides wished to keep to traditions and sacrifice to the gods. A number of the tribesmen took part in the Serpent Dance. This was their fatal mistake though. The Spaniards feared the worst and slaughtered those involved in the celebration, with little regard as to who was being killed.

Lacking over half of their population because of the massacre, the Be'ena' Za'a lurked in the shadows on the Aztec side of things for a stint before disappearing from the area. The tribes split up and spread themselves thin over the more barren areas, while a few made haste journey to Bohemia. Returning with a new trick in 1520, one of the Avilés took matters into his own hands; spreading the smallpox disease unseen by the region to one of the Spanish slaves. Slipping back into the shadows the tribe lay in wait for their gift to the Spanish to take effect.

Under the cover of night, the Spanish forces fled from the city though. Luckily for the Be'ena' Za’a tribe, they had spread themselves enough to cover each side of the city and its exits. Catching the Spaniards in their waterway escape was rather easy and while someone alerted the Aztecs, the families used some of their less obvious powers to help disorient their once allies. What the tribe didn’t expect though, was that the Spanish left the ill slave behind amongst the Aztecs. Spreading the disease, but not as planned. Their already dwindled numbers saw another decline, though they did not suffer as bad as those hold up in the city center did.

Weary from fighting, the tribe packed it up and sequestered a boat to take them to Bohemia to regroup. During this time many dropped the name Avilés, picking up the more modern name Espinosa, wishing to not have any connection to the slaughter they had befallen. The group easily fell back into step on the familiar islands. The fact that they could not be open with their religious practices still, didn’t sit well with them, but they needed to lick their wounds.

The families stayed on the islands much longer than expected, giving time for their family tree to once again branch and stretch. It wasn’t until the 1600’s that most of the tribe pulled out of Bohemia. The nearby witch accusations spooked them enough that they set out to continue exploration. Migrating south, the Be'ena' Za’a tribe settled into Portugal. No place is completely without problems and before they had even arrived it seemed that Portugal had joined into a war that would last eighty years between Spain and the Netherlands.

Staying out of the main conflict, the Avilés family kept more to themselves, focusing on collecting the knowledge of their new home. A few families around them, in effort to help out, migrated to Spain to get a front line glimpse of the conflict and of the Spaniards.

[More to come]