Asutekayotl

Painting of the Virgin Mary in Aztlán

Asutekayotl is the official State religion in Aztlán. Operating through the Established Church of Aztlán, Asutekayotl has existed since the colonial era. Mainly beginning in response to the Osmanli conquest in Eporan & the Dark War in Aztlán. Followers of Asutekayotl are often referred to as "Kayots" or "Kayotls".

## History

Around the time of the late 1500s, Asutekayotl would see its roots established. Firstly, the Osmanli conquest in Eporan had far-reaching effects. Reaching even Aztlán. Many Venesian Catholics feared that the heretical Empire of Osmanli would conquer all of Eporan & would even reach Aztlán one day. Thus toppling Venesian Catholicism & opening the gates for Venesian Catholic persecution. Then, the Dark War began in Aztlán as Mejkālāns saw the opportunity to exploit the weakness of Venesian Catholicism as the country was gripped with fear. All of this meant that Venesian Catholicism, as practiced in Eporan, began to weaken & ultimately become less popular in Aztlán.

Thus the Marian Apparition of the Virgin Mary was born. As Neue Branderlanders feared their religion was at stake, a vision of the Virgin Mary appeared to a converted indigenous man who was suffering from a lethal disease. She would miraculously cure the indigenous man & another Asutekan who was mortally wounded. From there, she would be enshrined as the Mother of Neue Branderland. A feminine deity who tended to & cared for all of Neue Branderland. Whether Guthic or Native, she extended her holy light over all. This would appeal greatly to indigenous communities who may have had trouble coming to terms with Venesian Catholicism as it was.

Initially, Asutekayotl (first known as Neue Catholicism) had trouble spreading. That is until the Dark War began to truly pick up steam. When the church was in need of a religious revival to aim at the demonic Mejkālāns, they found a perfect candidate in Asutekayotl. Reichskommissar Artur Fischer would approve construction of Asutekayotl churches along with general religious practice. Contemporary scholars believe that Fischer saw Asutekayotl as a perfect opportunity to not only counteract the fear coming out of Eporan & the Dark War, but as a solid route to begin exercising greater control over religious subjects in Aztlán. A task that previous Reichskommissars had struggled with as they often had to contend with Papal directives & proclamations.

From here, the religion would continue to grow. Although Venesian Catholicism was still dominant. Things would continue like this until the 1st Empire of Aztlán. Under Heiliger Kaiser Felix von Götzen, Asutekayotl (still called Neue Catholicism) was made the State religion rather than Venesian Catholicism. Despite this, the religion would continue to struggle until the reign of Christoph von Götzen-Uskovsky over the 2nd Empire of Aztlán.

During the 2nd Empire, Christoph would rename Neue Catholicism to Asutekayotl to truly connect the religion with Aztlán's unique identity. Christoph would also create an entirely new doctrine for the religion which detached it from Venesian Catholicism (although the Archbishop at the time credited the doctrine to "divine oversight"). Christoph sought to make Asutekayotl a support pillar of the reigning Monarchy rather than a detractor of the Monarchy as Venesian Catholicism had been to the Reichskommissars. Thus the religion continued, supporting Heiliger Kaisers, into its modern incarnation.

## Doctrine

### Divine Right

Asutekayotl emphasizes the Divine Mandate to rule. While Venesian Catholicism invests power in the Pope, Asutekayotl invests religious power in the Monarch of Aztlán. Any Male Monarch who rules Aztlán is crowned as the "Son of God & Mary" ruling under their blessing. At the same time, Aztlani Monarchs are also given the title "Defender of Asutekayotl" as the Monarch is believed to be the sword & shield of the religion. However, Aztlani monarchs are also generally considered "seperate from Man". This has been a great source of controversy. As during the reign of Heiliger Kaiser Otto von Götzen-Uskovsky, he used this belief to justify his complete degeneracy & failure to rule effectively.

### Tithe

Asutekayotl condemns greed & forced taxes such as "tithe". Instead, the religion encourages purely donations for goodwill. Although it is heavily emphasized that donations are NOT needed to reach salvation.

### Family

Asutekayotl encourages family values. Often condemning those who are "adulterers" or "seducers", Asutekayotl emphasizes family purity & loyalty. It enshrines families as the ultimate goal of every Kayotl worshipper.

### Marriage

Relating to family, Asutekayotl heavily promotes Marriage. Many clauses praise Marriage specifically between a man & a woman (a source of heavy criticism from the lgbt community in Aztlán). In addition, carnal relations outside of marriage are heavily condemned. Children born out of wedlock are generally looked less favorably upon but through personal redemption, they can be redeemed & blessed. What's more, Divorce is heavily condemned. Clauses within the Asutekayotl bible specifically outline that Divorces must go through a rigorous process before finalization. Thus Divorce in Aztlán (under religious law) act similar to annulments than what some may think of as "Divorce".

### Clergy

Asutekayotl splits the structure of Clergy into two seperate paths. The priests or pastors for Men. The nuns or sisters for Women. Both have different roles & specializations within the overall Church & Religion. However, either gender is banned from joining the other genders path.

### War

Asutekayotl does believe in war. Although there has been divergent schools of thought on this topic as many clauses pertaining to conflict are broad & have multiple interpretations. The traditional school of thought is that War is essential to ensure the protection of Asutekayotl. However, divergent schools have emphasized pacifism as the true path to Asutekayotl security & growth.