Codex

A short manual for this site. The cosmogony that structures it, the human who writes it, the family that inhabits it.

The five directions

In Mesoamerican thought, the universe isn't read in four cardinal points but in five — the four horizons plus the center. Each direction carries its color, its god, its animal, its time of day. This site follows that plan.

Center · Xiuhtecuhtli · jadeThe cosmic axis, the fire that burns without ever going out. Here is the home, the hub, the possible return.
East · Tonatiuh · goldDawn, the rising sun. Here are the services, what I offer to build with you.
South · Huitzilopochtli · turquoiseNoon, the warrior hummingbird. Here are the projects, what I've already carried through.
West · Ehecatl · ashDusk, the breath of wind. Here is contact, an open channel.
North · Mictlantecuhtli · obsidianNight, the lord of the land of the dead. Here is Teyolía · Memory, what was kept rather than erased.

The four previous suns

Before Nahui Ollin, four worlds lived and perished. Each left a lesson on how to die — and therefore how to live. Nahua cosmology does not think of creation as linear but as cycles that beget one another by collapsing. Our current sun is the fifth. It is mortal like the previous ones.

Nahui Ocelotl · 4 JaguarThe first sun. Inhabitants were giants who lived on acorns. The world collapsed under jaguars who devoured the race. Fall by excess of strength.
Nahui Ehecatl · 4 WindThe second sun, ruled by Quetzalcoatl. An immense wind blew the world away, humans transformed into monkeys still clinging to branches. Fall by lack of grounding.
Nahui Quiahuitl · 4 Fire RainThe third sun, ruled by Tlaloc. A rain of fire burned the world, inhabitants transformed into turkeys who keep their red crest. Fall by celestial anger.
Nahui Atl · 4 WaterThe fourth sun, ruled by Chalchiuhtlicue, Jade Skirt. A flood drowned the world, humans transformed into fish. Fall by tears held back too long.

Ollin, the tremor of the 5th sun

We live under Nahui Ollin, the sun of the four movements. Nahua prophecy says our world endures only as long as it trembles: when Ollin ceases, the earth stills one final time, Tonatiuh dies, the Tzitzimime descend. Every breath, every heartbeat, every touch is living proof of Ollin. On this site, when you press the mouse or tap the screen, a radial wave crosses the scene: that is Ollin manifesting. The stag Mazātl, messenger between worlds, feels the vibration before your eyes do. The four guardians awaken, the central fire redistributes. You are performing a ritual whose name you did not know. The historic Ollin glyph is a central circle bordered by four cardinal rays — the same five-point cross as the compass in the bottom right. Gesture and structure answer each other.

The three entities of the Nahua being

In Nahua thought, a person is not a single soul but three entities that coexist, each lodged in a part of the body. They separate at death and take distinct paths. Understanding this triptych is understanding why Teyolía names the Memory page of this site.

Teyolía · heartThe seat of memory, personality, intimate knowledge. It resides in the heart and, at death, travels to Mictlán after a four-year journey. It carries what you have been.
Tonalli · headThe vital force tied to the day of birth in the tonalpohualli calendar. It resides in the head and radiates like a heat. It can escape during intense fright — hence the rituals to recall the tonalli after a shock.
Ihíyotl · liverThe breath, the passions, the desires. It resides in the liver and belly. If unmastered, it can escape and affect others — moral illnesses come from there.

The stag, Mazātl

The nahual is that essence which reveals itself in its true animal form. I chose the stag over the eagle or the jaguar — deliberately avoiding the "Aztec imagery" cliché to stay in the more discreet register of presence: messenger between worlds, associated with grace, vigilance, and the ability to hide one's true nature from others.

Xolotl, the dog of dusk

Twin brother of Quetzalcoatl, Xolotl is the dog who guides souls to Mictlán after death. Skeletal, silent, he crosses worlds without ever stopping — except for those who know how to watch. On this site, he appears rarely: more often to the North (the Memory page, natural path to Mictlán), more discreet elsewhere. Never on the home page. If you have seen him pass, the scene has judged you worthy of his attention. He may not return anytime soon.

Who writes

Sylvain Maurier, senior frontend developer based in Lyon. Ten years shipping interfaces (React, Next.js, Vue, React Native), an ongoing specialization in digital accessibility (RGAA, certification exam October 23, 2026). A simple thread: accessibility is coded, not just audited. PDF reports don't change the world, fix code does.

The family that inhabits this site

Nahual is a French-Mexican project as much as a personal one. Elda, my partner, is Mexican, a native Spanish speaker, a teacher. Léopoldine is our daughter, born in Lyon. Alondra is her older sister, adopted in Mexico. Nahua cosmogony isn't a randomly chosen exotic backdrop — it's a family heritage I'm still learning, with the respect that requires.

On cultural appropriation

This site pays tribute to a living culture, not a museum. The cardinal motifs (sun, flower, blade, spiral, quincunx) are stylized evocations inspired by Mesoamerican iconography, not reproductions of sacred glyphs. Calendar glyphs, the Fejérváry-Mayer codex, the Piedra del Sol are deliberately absent from decorative elements without context. The red line is simple: celebrate what is public, leave what is sacred to those who hold it.

What inspired me

Sacred Labs and Joseph Santamaria for WebGL sobriety, Lusion and Immersive Garden for web cinematography, Bruno Simon for the narrative daring of a 3D portfolio. The Fejérváry-Mayer and Borgia codices for the cosmological structure. Miguel León-Portilla's and Alfredo López Austin's studies for the depth of Nahua philosophy. Thanks to Elda for the patience, to Léo for the micro-naps that saved a few deadlines.