纪录片《大英博物馆世界简史》 069瓦斯特克女神雕像（2）

 

Everybody knows about the Aztecs, and how the great Aztec Empire was conquered by the Spaniards in the 1520s. We hear much less about the people that the Aztecs themselves had conquered to build their empire. One of the most interesting people subjugated¹ by the Aztecs were their northern neighbours, the Huastecs. We know that the Huastecs lived on Mexico's northern Gulf² coast, in the area around modern Veracruz, and that between the tenth and the fifteenth centuries they had a flourishing city culture. But around 1400, this prosperous world was overwhelmed by the aggressive Aztec state in the south, and the Huastec ruling class was effectively liquidated³. There's very little now that would enable us to reconstruct the world and the ideas of the Huastecs. There is no trace of any writing, and all we have to go on is Aztec accounts of the people they conquered, as transmitted through the Spanish after they in their turn had liquidated the Aztecs. So if we want the Huastec to speak to us directly, we have to go to the objects they left behind. These are their only documents, and among the most eloquent⁴ of them are groups of highly distinctive⁵ stone statues.

一五二年左右，西班牙人征服了阿兹特克帝国，这两者的渊源早已尽人皆知。

但是，阿兹特克人在建立起自己帝国的过程中也侵略过外族，这一点大家恐怕知之甚少。被征服的民族中最有意思的当数瓦斯特克人，他们是阿兹特克人北方的邻居，居住在墨西哥北部海湾，今贝拉克鲁斯附近，在十世纪至十五世纪拥有繁荣的城市文明。但在公元一千四百年左右，这片兴盛之地被南边好斗的阿兹特克人占领，瓦斯特克的政权随之瓦解。我们掌握的信息少之又少，无法重建他们昔日的社会与思想，也没发现任何文字的痕迹。唯一相关的文献来自阿兹特克人对其所征服的民族的记录，而这份记录是被击败了阿兹特克人的西班牙人传播开来的。如果想听瓦斯特克人自己讲述身世，就只能依靠他们留下的物品。这是他们唯一的文献，其中能提供最多信息的大概要数一组辨识度极高的石制雕像。

1 subjugated   

v.征服，降伏( subjugate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The prince had appeared and subjugated the poor little handmaid. 王子出现了，这使穷苦的小丫头不胜仰慕。 来自辞典例句
• As we know, rule over subjugated peoples is incompatible with the gentile constitution. 我们知道，对被征服者的统治，是和氏族制度不相容的。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源

2 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

3 liquidated   

v.清算( liquidate的过去式和过去分词 )；清除（某人）；清偿；变卖

参考例句：

• All his supporters were expelled, exiled, or liquidated. 他的支持者全都被驱逐、流放或消灭了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• That can be liquidated at market value any time. 那可按市价随时得到偿付。 来自辞典例句

4 eloquent   

adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的

参考例句：

• He was so eloquent that he cut down the finest orator.他能言善辩，胜过最好的演说家。
• These ruins are an eloquent reminder of the horrors of war.这些废墟形象地提醒人们不要忘记战争的恐怖。

5 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。