The Gladiatorial Stone

As part of the grander Tlacaxipehualiztli festival this year the foremost among the captured warriors will be pitted against four of our best eagle and jaguar warriors while tied to a sacrificial stone and armed only with a mock Macuahuitl, a club with feathers instead of obsidian blades. In the unlikely event that the captive should survive the encounter with his first four adversaries he will face one final, left-handed, fighter. Apart from pleasing the gods this ceremony is immensely popular and is likely to attract a great number of spectators.