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Azcapotzalco (altepetl)
Encyclopedia
Azcapotzalco was a pre-Columbian
Nahua altepetl
(state), capital of the Tepanec
empire, in the Valley of Mexico
, on the western shore of Lake Texcoco
.
The name Azcapotzalco means "at the anthill" in Nahuatl
. Its inhabitants were called Azcapotzalca.
According to the 17th century annalist Chimalpahin, Azcapotzalco was founded by Chichimecs in the year 995 AD.
The most famous ruler (tlatoani
) of Azcapotzalco was Tezozomoctli.
daughter Cuetlaxochitzin. But this information is rather in a mythical context, Acolnahuacatl life is registered much later.
Chimalpain places their settlement before, in 995. In fact archaeological investigations have revealed that Azcapotzalco was inhabited from the Classical period - around year 600 – and were related to the Teotihuacan’s culture and language, as it is known that they still spoke the Otomi
language in 14th century while the Nahuatl was lingua franca from 1272. Continuing with data provided by Chimalpain, he mentions that Tepanec entered the Triple Alliance from 1047 (this Alliance is different from a much later alliance involving the Aztecs).
The documents indicate that last line starts with Matlacohuatl who governs from 1152 to 1222, his wife was Cuitlachtepetl. The second tlatoani was Chiconquiauhtzin governing 1222 to 1248, he married Princess Xicomoyahual, daughter of the Xaltocan ruler called Ohpantzin (sources write it as Upatzin and Opantecutli).
Azcapotzalco was founded in the 13th century in the west of Lake Texcoco. Entered into territorial jurisdiction with the Colhuacan altépetl, southeast of the Lake. Azcapotzalco maintained a dominant hegemony with the Aztecs, who arrived in 1299, settling on the Chapultepec Hill, and were dominated.
Allowed the mexitin establishment in Chapultepec in 1281-1286 so they expelled the matlatzincas-texcaltepecas (Texcaltepec; former name of the village of Malinalco), also remained neutral when a four Nation coalition razed the Chapoltepec mexitin and Santa Catarina Sierra in 1299, when they are subjected to the Colhuacan yoke. In 1318 for the first time they attacked the Aztecs, which resulted in an increased tribute and greater participation in military campaigns. Offered Epcohuatzin Teuhtlehuac as first Tlatelolco tlatoani in 1337.
Around of 1315, the Tepanec, Toltec and Chichimec drove the Aztecs definitively from Chapultepec. Cópil was captured and killed by the Aztecs. His heart was ripped off and thrown into the River. According to a legend, Huitzilopochtli had to kill his nephew, Cópil and threw his heart in the Lake. However, since Cópil was his relative, Huitzilopochtli decided to honor him and made a cactus grow over Cópil heart and it became a sacred place.
The Aztecs attempted to ally with the Colhua to confront the Tepanec: they were allowed to settle in Tizapán, near Colhuacan. In 1323, the Aztecs slaughtered a Colhua Princess in front of his father. The Colhua had been expelled from Tizapán and immediately declared war.
The Aztecs called for immediate Azcapotzalco protection, and from this point forward they were subject to military, economic and strategic decisions of the Tepanecas.
Between 1371 and 1426, Azcapotzalco reached its greatest splendor under the Government of Tezozómoc. At the time of his death in 1343, Azcapotzalco was an authentic "Hueyi Tlahtohcayotl", controlled trade routes and his lineage governed at least 40 altépetl.
At Acolnahuacatl death, his son Tezozomoc
only 23 years old took his place; it may be the most important and crucial post-classical period figure. His political decisions both, destroyed villages and favored the emergence of others, if the Aztec-tenochcas supremacy was reached in the 15th century was as a result of Tezozómoc Government.
His son Cuacuapitzahuac ruled the Tlatelolco Aztec city until 1407. Tezozómoc forced the Aztecs to fight with him and conquered the enemy city of Colhuacan in 1385. Between 1414-1418 achieved domain of the Valley, thanks to the decisive contribution of Aztec and mercenary forces and a series of careful pacts with regional people. Azcapotzalco became an economic center of enormous power.
In 1426, When Tezozómoc died, his son Maxtla took power, he failed to maintain alliances and lost the crucial support of the Aztecs due to the assassination of Tlatoani Chimalpopoca. Azcapotzalco was attacked and destroyed by the Triple Alliance Tenochtitlan-Texcoco-Tlacopan in 1428. Hegemonic power passed to Tenochtitlan and, consequently, to the Aztec Empire.
Pre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
Nahua altepetl
Altepetl
The altepetl, in Pre-Columbian and Spanish conquest-era Aztec society, was the local, ethnically based political entity. The word is a combination of the Nahuatl words ā-tl, meaning water, and tepē-tl, meaning mountain....
(state), capital of the Tepanec
Tepanec
The Tepanecs or Tepaneca are a Mesoamerican people who arrived in the Valley of Mexico in the late 12th or early 13th centuries. The Tepanec were a sister culture of the Aztecs as well as the Acolhua and others—these tribes spoke the Nahuatl language and shared the same general pantheon, with...
empire, in the Valley of Mexico
Valley of Mexico
The Valley of Mexico is a highlands plateau in central Mexico roughly coterminous with the present-day Distrito Federal and the eastern half of the State of Mexico. Surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, the Valley of Mexico was a centre for several pre-Columbian civilizations, including...
, on the western shore of Lake Texcoco
Lake Texcoco
Lake Texcoco was a natural lake formation within the Valley of Mexico. The Aztecs built the city of Tenochtitlan on an island in the lake. The Spaniards built Mexico City over Tenochtitlan...
.
The name Azcapotzalco means "at the anthill" in Nahuatl
Nahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
. Its inhabitants were called Azcapotzalca.
According to the 17th century annalist Chimalpahin, Azcapotzalco was founded by Chichimecs in the year 995 AD.
The most famous ruler (tlatoani
Tlatoani
Tlatoani is the Nahuatl term for the ruler of an altepetl, a pre-Hispanic state. The word literally means "speaker", but may be translated into English as "king". A is a female ruler, or queen regnant....
) of Azcapotzalco was Tezozomoctli.
History
According to chronicler Fernando Alva Ixtlilxóchitl the Tepanec's were a Chichimec group and settled in 1012 in the region west of Lake Texcoco. Its lineage begins when their Acolhua leader (or Acolnahuacatl) another chichimeca warlord marries XolotlXolotl
In Aztec mythology, Xolotl was the god with associations to both lightning and death.Although often depicted in relation to the underworld, Xolotl was not a psychopomp in the Western sense. Xolotl did, however, aid the dead on their journey to Mictlan, the afterlife in some myths.Xolotl was also...
daughter Cuetlaxochitzin. But this information is rather in a mythical context, Acolnahuacatl life is registered much later.
Chimalpain places their settlement before, in 995. In fact archaeological investigations have revealed that Azcapotzalco was inhabited from the Classical period - around year 600 – and were related to the Teotihuacan’s culture and language, as it is known that they still spoke the Otomi
Otomi language
Otomi is an Oto-Manguean language and one of the indigenous languages of Mexico, spoken by approximately 240,000 indigenous Otomi people in the central altiplano region of Mexico. The language is spoken in many different dialects, some of which are not mutually intelligible, therefore it is in...
language in 14th century while the Nahuatl was lingua franca from 1272. Continuing with data provided by Chimalpain, he mentions that Tepanec entered the Triple Alliance from 1047 (this Alliance is different from a much later alliance involving the Aztecs).
The documents indicate that last line starts with Matlacohuatl who governs from 1152 to 1222, his wife was Cuitlachtepetl. The second tlatoani was Chiconquiauhtzin governing 1222 to 1248, he married Princess Xicomoyahual, daughter of the Xaltocan ruler called Ohpantzin (sources write it as Upatzin and Opantecutli).
Azcapotzalco was founded in the 13th century in the west of Lake Texcoco. Entered into territorial jurisdiction with the Colhuacan altépetl, southeast of the Lake. Azcapotzalco maintained a dominant hegemony with the Aztecs, who arrived in 1299, settling on the Chapultepec Hill, and were dominated.
Allowed the mexitin establishment in Chapultepec in 1281-1286 so they expelled the matlatzincas-texcaltepecas (Texcaltepec; former name of the village of Malinalco), also remained neutral when a four Nation coalition razed the Chapoltepec mexitin and Santa Catarina Sierra in 1299, when they are subjected to the Colhuacan yoke. In 1318 for the first time they attacked the Aztecs, which resulted in an increased tribute and greater participation in military campaigns. Offered Epcohuatzin Teuhtlehuac as first Tlatelolco tlatoani in 1337.
Around of 1315, the Tepanec, Toltec and Chichimec drove the Aztecs definitively from Chapultepec. Cópil was captured and killed by the Aztecs. His heart was ripped off and thrown into the River. According to a legend, Huitzilopochtli had to kill his nephew, Cópil and threw his heart in the Lake. However, since Cópil was his relative, Huitzilopochtli decided to honor him and made a cactus grow over Cópil heart and it became a sacred place.
The Aztecs attempted to ally with the Colhua to confront the Tepanec: they were allowed to settle in Tizapán, near Colhuacan. In 1323, the Aztecs slaughtered a Colhua Princess in front of his father. The Colhua had been expelled from Tizapán and immediately declared war.
The Aztecs called for immediate Azcapotzalco protection, and from this point forward they were subject to military, economic and strategic decisions of the Tepanecas.
Between 1371 and 1426, Azcapotzalco reached its greatest splendor under the Government of Tezozómoc. At the time of his death in 1343, Azcapotzalco was an authentic "Hueyi Tlahtohcayotl", controlled trade routes and his lineage governed at least 40 altépetl.
At Acolnahuacatl death, his son Tezozomoc
Tezozomoc
Tezozomoc Yacateteltetl , was a Tepanec leader who ruled the altepetl of Azcapotzalco from the year 1353 or Five Reed or Eight Rabbit until his death in the year Twelve Rabbit...
only 23 years old took his place; it may be the most important and crucial post-classical period figure. His political decisions both, destroyed villages and favored the emergence of others, if the Aztec-tenochcas supremacy was reached in the 15th century was as a result of Tezozómoc Government.
His son Cuacuapitzahuac ruled the Tlatelolco Aztec city until 1407. Tezozómoc forced the Aztecs to fight with him and conquered the enemy city of Colhuacan in 1385. Between 1414-1418 achieved domain of the Valley, thanks to the decisive contribution of Aztec and mercenary forces and a series of careful pacts with regional people. Azcapotzalco became an economic center of enormous power.
In 1426, When Tezozómoc died, his son Maxtla took power, he failed to maintain alliances and lost the crucial support of the Aztecs due to the assassination of Tlatoani Chimalpopoca. Azcapotzalco was attacked and destroyed by the Triple Alliance Tenochtitlan-Texcoco-Tlacopan in 1428. Hegemonic power passed to Tenochtitlan and, consequently, to the Aztec Empire.