Cuitláhuac
Encyclopedia
Cuitláhuac or Cuitláhuac (in Spanish orthography; in , honorific form Cuitlahuatzin) was the 10th tlatoani
(ruler) of the Aztec
city of Tenochtitlan for 80 days during the year Two Flint
(1520).
Cuitláhuac was the eleventh son of the ruler Axayacatl
and a younger brother of Moctezuma II
, the previous ruler of Tenochtitlan. His mother's father, also called Cuitlahuac, had been ruler of Itztapalapan, and the younger Cuitláhuac also ruled there initially.
Cuitláhuac was made tlatoani of Tenochtitlan during the Spanish conquest of Mexico
; After Pedro de Alvarado had ordered the massacre in the Main Temple, the Aztecs were very upset and started to fight and put a siege to the Spaniards. Hernán Cortés
ordered Moctezuma to ask his people to stop fighting. Moctezuma told him that they would not listen to him and suggested Cortés free Cuitláhuac so that he could convince them to dispose of their arms and not fight anymore. Cortés then freed Cuitláhuac and once Cuitláhuac was free he led his people against the conquistadors. He succeeded and the Spaniards were driven out of Tenochtitlan on June 30, 1520. Cuitláhuac was ritually married to Moctezuma's eldest daughter, a ten or eleven year old girl who later was called Isabel Moctezuma.
After having ruled for just 80 days, Cuitláhuac died of smallpox
that had been introduced to the New World
by the Europeans
. His elder brother Matlatzincatzin, who had been cihuacoatl
("president"), resigned upon Cuitláhuac's death. As soon as Cuitláhuac died, Cuauhtémoc
was made the next tlatoani.
The modern Mexican
municipality of Cuitláhuac, Veracruz
and the Mexico City Metro
station Metro Cuitláhuac
are named in honor of Cuitláhuac. The asteroid
2275 Cuitláhuac
is also named after this ruler.
There is an Avenue in Mexico City Called Cuitláhuac (Eje 3 Norte) that runs from Avenue Insurgentes to Avenue Mexico-Tacuba and that is part of an inner ring; also many streets in other towns and villages in Mexico are so called.
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....
(ruler) of the Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
city of Tenochtitlan for 80 days during the year Two Flint
Aztec calendar
The Aztec calendar is the calendar system that was used by the Aztecs as well as other Pre-Columbian peoples of central Mexico. It is one of the Mesoamerican calendars, sharing the basic structure of calendars from throughout ancient Mesoamerica....
(1520).
Cuitláhuac was the eleventh son of the ruler Axayacatl
Axayacatl
Axayacatl was the sixth Aztec Emperor, a ruler of the Postclassic Mesoamerican Aztec Empire and city of Tenochtitlan, who reigned from 1469 to 1481.He is chiefly remembered for subjugating Tlatelolco, Tenochtitlan's sister city, in 1473....
and a younger brother of Moctezuma II
Moctezuma II
Moctezuma , also known by a number of variant spellings including Montezuma, Moteuczoma, Motecuhzoma and referred to in full by early Nahuatl texts as Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin, was the ninth tlatoani or ruler of Tenochtitlan, reigning from 1502 to 1520...
, the previous ruler of Tenochtitlan. His mother's father, also called Cuitlahuac, had been ruler of Itztapalapan, and the younger Cuitláhuac also ruled there initially.
Cuitláhuac was made tlatoani of Tenochtitlan during the Spanish conquest of Mexico
Spanish conquest of Mexico
The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire was one of the most important campaigns in the Spanish colonization of the Americas. The invasion began in February 1519 and was acclaimed victorious on August 13, 1521, by a coalition army of Spanish conquistadors and Tlaxcalan warriors led by Hernán Cortés...
; After Pedro de Alvarado had ordered the massacre in the Main Temple, the Aztecs were very upset and started to fight and put a siege to the Spaniards. Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century...
ordered Moctezuma to ask his people to stop fighting. Moctezuma told him that they would not listen to him and suggested Cortés free Cuitláhuac so that he could convince them to dispose of their arms and not fight anymore. Cortés then freed Cuitláhuac and once Cuitláhuac was free he led his people against the conquistadors. He succeeded and the Spaniards were driven out of Tenochtitlan on June 30, 1520. Cuitláhuac was ritually married to Moctezuma's eldest daughter, a ten or eleven year old girl who later was called Isabel Moctezuma.
After having ruled for just 80 days, Cuitláhuac died of smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
that had been introduced to the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
by the Europeans
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
. His elder brother Matlatzincatzin, who had been cihuacoatl
Cihuacoatl (position)
The cihuacoatl was a supreme leader or advisor within the Aztec system of government....
("president"), resigned upon Cuitláhuac's death. As soon as Cuitláhuac died, Cuauhtémoc
Cuauhtémoc
Cuauhtémoc was the Aztec ruler of Tenochtitlan from 1520 to 1521...
was made the next tlatoani.
The modern Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
municipality of Cuitláhuac, Veracruz
Cuitláhuac, Veracruz
Cuitláhuac is a municipality in the Mexican state of Veracruz. It is named after Cuitláhuac, the 10th tlatoani of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan for 80 days during the year Two Flint .- External links :...
and the Mexico City Metro
Mexico City Metro
The Mexico City Metro , officially called Sistema de Transporte Colectivo, is a metro system that serves the metropolitan area of Mexico City...
station Metro Cuitláhuac
Metro Cuitláhuac
Metro Cuitláhuac is a station on the Mexico City Metro. It is located in the Colonia Popotla and Colonia San Alvaro districts in the Miguel Hidalgo borough of Mexico City, to the northwest of the city centre. It lies along Line 2....
are named in honor of Cuitláhuac. The asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
2275 Cuitláhuac
2275 Cuitlahuac
2275 Cuitlahuac is a main-belt asteroid discovered on June 16, 1979 by Schuster, H.-E. at La Silla.- External links :*...
is also named after this ruler.
There is an Avenue in Mexico City Called Cuitláhuac (Eje 3 Norte) that runs from Avenue Insurgentes to Avenue Mexico-Tacuba and that is part of an inner ring; also many streets in other towns and villages in Mexico are so called.