Aztec drought and the "curse of one rabbit"

Abstract

Sixteenth-century Aztec codices preserve a record of at least 13 drought years in central Mexico during the prehispanic and early colonial period. Climate-sensitive tree-ring records recently developed for Mexico confirm 9 of the 13 Aztec drought dates, including the extended drought related to the infamous "famine of One Rabbit" in 1454. One Rabbit is the first year of the 52-yr Aztec calendar cycle, and folklore suggests that famine and catastrophe accompany its return. The Mexican tree-ring data indicate that severe drought occurred immediately before 10 of the 13 One Rabbit years during and before the Aztec era A.D. 882-1558. This relationship between drought and the year preceding One Rabbit is statistically significant and suggests a real climatic origin for the "curse of One Rabbit." © 2004 American Meteorological Society.