36. The Aztecs had their own vampire-like beasts
An intriguing vampiric legend developed independently in the ancient Mexican Aztec tradition. Ciutateos or Ciuapipiltin (‘honourable mothers’) are the spirits of women who died in childbirth. Like witches, they held sabbats at crossroads and rode broomsticks. But most interesting for our vampire history is their habit of drinking the blood of children. Like European vampires, they only came out at night, too. Unfortunately, while there’s no reason to doubt the Aztecs believed in something vampiric, this legend comes with a caveat. The Ciuapipiltin stories were written down by Europeans, whose (mis)translations were mediated through their own knowledge and experiences.
