![Aztecexpansion](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Aztecexpansion.png)
Axayacatl (; nci, āxāyacatl ; es, Axayácatl ; meaning "face of water"; –1481) was the sixth of the of
Tenochtitlan
, ; es, Tenochtitlan also known as Mexico-Tenochtitlan, ; es, México-Tenochtitlan was a large Mexican in what is now the historic center of Mexico City. The exact date of the founding of the city is unclear. The date 13 March 1325 was ...
and
Emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
of the
Aztec Triple Alliance
The Aztec Empire or the Triple Alliance ( nci, Ēxcān Tlahtōlōyān, jéːʃkaːn̥ t͡ɬaʔtoːˈlóːjaːn̥ was an alliance of three Nahua city-states: , , and . These three city-states ruled that area in and around the Valley of Mexico ...
.
Biography
Early life and background
Axayacatl was a son of the princess
Atotoztli II
Atotoztli ( nci-IPA, Atotoztli, atoˈtostɬi) or Huitzilxochtzin ( nci-IPA, Huitzilxōchtzin, witsiɬˈʃoːtʃtsin) was a daughter of the Aztec emperor Moctezuma I and Chichimecacihuatzin I, the daughter of Cuauhtototzin, the ruler of Cuauhnahuac. ...
and her cousin, prince
Tezozomoc. He was a grandson of the Emperors
Moctezuma I
Moctezuma I (–1469), also known as Moteuczomatzin Ilhuicamina (), Huehuemoteuczoma or Montezuma I ( nci, Motēuczōma Ilhuicamīna , nci, Huēhuemotēuczōma ), was the second Aztec emperor and fifth king of Tenochtitlan. During his reign, the ...
and
Itzcoatl
Itzcoatl ( nci-IPA, Itzcōhuātl, it͡sˈkoːwaːt͡ɬ, "Obsidian Serpent", ) (1380–1440) was the fourth king of Tenochtitlan, and the founder of the Aztec Empire, ruling from 1427 to 1440. Under Itzcoatl the Mexica of Tenochtitlan threw off th ...
. He was a descendant of the king
Cuauhtototzin
Cuauhtototzin () was a king of Cuauhnahuac.
Family
Cuauhtototzin was a son and successor of King Tezcacohuatzin. His sister was Empress Miahuaxihuitl.
He was a father of Empress Chichimecacihuatzin I and uncle of her husband Moctezuma I.
Cuauht ...
.
He was a successor of Moctezuma and his brothers were Emperors
Tizoc
Tizocic or Tizocicatzin usually known in English as Tizoc, was the seventh ''tlatoani'' of Tenochtitlan. His name means, "He who makes sacrifices" or "He who does penance." Either Tizoc or his successor Ahuitzotl was the first ''tlatoani'' of ...
and
Ahuitzotl
Ahuitzotl ( nah, āhuitzotl, ) was the eighth Aztec ruler, the '' Huey Tlatoani'' of the city of Tenochtitlan, son of princess Atotoztli II. His name literally means "Water Thorny" and was also applied to the otter. It is also theorized that mo ...
and his sister was the Queen
Chalchiuhnenetzin
::''This is an article about one queen. Names similar to her are that of deities Chalchiuhtotolin and Chalchiuhtlicue and queen Chalchiuhcozcatzin.''
Chalchiuhnenetzin ("noble jade doll"; ''chal-cheeoo-neh-NEH-tseen'') was an Aztec princess o ...
. He was an uncle of the Emperor
Cuauhtémoc
Cuauhtémoc (, ), also known as Cuauhtemotzín, Guatimozín, or Guatémoc, was the Aztec ruler (''tlatoani'') of Tenochtitlan from 1520 to 1521, making him the last Aztec Emperor. The name Cuauhtemōc means "one who has descended like an eagle" ...
and father of Emperors
Moctezuma II
Moctezuma Xocoyotzin ( – 29 June 1520; oteːkˈsoːmaḁ ʃoːkoˈjoːt͡sĩn̥), nci-IPA, Motēuczōmah Xōcoyōtzin, moteːkʷˈsoːma ʃoːkoˈjoːtsin variant spellings include Motewksomah, Motecuhzomatzin, Montezuma, Moteuczoma, Motecu ...
and
Cuitláhuac
Cuitláhuac (, ) (c. 1476 – 1520) or Cuitláhuac (in Spanish orthography; nah, Cuitlāhuac, , honorific form: Cuitlahuatzin) was the 10th '' Huey Tlatoani'' (emperor) of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan for 80 days during the year Two Flin ...
.
Rise to power
During his youth, his military prowess gained him the favor influential figures such as
Nezahualcoyotl Nezahualcoyotl may refer to:
* Nezahualcoyotl (tlatoani), the ruler of Texcoco
* Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl, a city in the State of Mexico
* Nezahualcóyotl metro station, in Mexico City
* The Nezahualcóyotl Award, a literary prize in Mexico
* Nezah ...
and
Tlacaelel I
Tlacaelel I (1397 – 1487) ( nci, Tlācaēllel , "Man of Strong Emotions," from "tlācatl," person and "ēllelli," strong emotion) was the principal architect of the Aztec Triple Alliance and hence the Mexica (Aztec) empire. He was the son ...
, and thus, upon the death of
Moctezuma I
Moctezuma I (–1469), also known as Moteuczomatzin Ilhuicamina (), Huehuemoteuczoma or Montezuma I ( nci, Motēuczōma Ilhuicamīna , nci, Huēhuemotēuczōma ), was the second Aztec emperor and fifth king of Tenochtitlan. During his reign, the ...
in 1469, he was chosen to ascend to the throne, much to the displeasure of his two older brothers,
Tizoc
Tizocic or Tizocicatzin usually known in English as Tizoc, was the seventh ''tlatoani'' of Tenochtitlan. His name means, "He who makes sacrifices" or "He who does penance." Either Tizoc or his successor Ahuitzotl was the first ''tlatoani'' of ...
and
Ahuitzotl
Ahuitzotl ( nah, āhuitzotl, ) was the eighth Aztec ruler, the '' Huey Tlatoani'' of the city of Tenochtitlan, son of princess Atotoztli II. His name literally means "Water Thorny" and was also applied to the otter. It is also theorized that mo ...
.
It is also important that the
Great Sun Stone, also known as the Aztec Calendar, was carved under his leadership. An
earthquake in Tenochtitlán occurred and destroyed many homes.
Military actions and death
Using as a pretext the insulting behavior of a few Tlatelolcan citizens, Axayacatl invaded his neighbor, killed its ruler,
Moquihuix
Moquihuix (or Moquihuixtli) (died 1473) was the fourth '' tlatoani'' (ruler) of Tlatelolco. He died in 1473 in the Battle of Tlatelolco, a military conflict fought between Tlatelolco and Tenochtitlan.
Moquihuix was married to Chalchiuhnenetz ...
, and replaced him with a military governor. The Tlatelolcans lost any voice they had in forming Aztec policy.
![Moquihuix_mendoza](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Moquihuix_mendoza.jpg)
Axayacatl largely dedicated his twelve-year reign to consolidating his militaristic repute: he led successful
campaigns against the neighboring of
Tlatelolco in 1473 (see
Battle of Tlatelolco
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
) and the
Matlatzinca of the
Toluca Valley
The Toluca Valley is a valley in central Mexico, just west of the Valley of Mexico (Mexico City), the old name was Matlatzinco. The valley runs north–south for about , surrounded by mountains, the most imposing of which is the Nevado de Toluca Vo ...
in 1474, but was finally defeated by the
Tarascan
Tarascan or Tarasca is an exonym and the popular name for the Purépecha culture. It may refer to:
* the Tarascan State, a Mesoamerican empire until the Spanish conquest in the 1500s, located in (present-day) west-central Mexico
* the Purépecha p ...
s of
Michoacán
Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo (; Purépecha: ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of ...
in 1476. Despite some subsequent minor triumphs, Axayacatl's defeat at the hands of the Tarascans irreversibly marred his image, as it constituted the only major defeat suffered by the Aztecs up to that moment. In spite of his young age, he fell gravely ill in 1480, passing away a mere year later, in 1481, whereupon he was succeeded by his brother Tizoc.
Axayacatl the poet
Axayacatl wrote two poems. The first, ''Ycuic Axayayatzin'' (English: "Song of Axayacatl") is a defense against his brothers and critics; the second, ''Huehue cuicatl'' (English: "Song of the Ancients") is a lament written after his defeat in Michoacan.
In popular culture
* The ''Obsidian and Blood'' series by
Aliette de Bodard
Aliette de Bodard is a French-American speculative fiction writer.
Writing
de Bodard published her first short story in 2006. In 2007, she was a winner of Writers of the Future, and in 2009 was nominated for the John W. Campbell Award for Best ...
are set in the last year of the reign of Axayacatl and the first years of the reign of
Tizoc
Tizocic or Tizocicatzin usually known in English as Tizoc, was the seventh ''tlatoani'' of Tenochtitlan. His name means, "He who makes sacrifices" or "He who does penance." Either Tizoc or his successor Ahuitzotl was the first ''tlatoani'' of ...
, with their youngest brother
Ahuitzotl
Ahuitzotl ( nah, āhuitzotl, ) was the eighth Aztec ruler, the '' Huey Tlatoani'' of the city of Tenochtitlan, son of princess Atotoztli II. His name literally means "Water Thorny" and was also applied to the otter. It is also theorized that mo ...
appearing as a primary character.
Notes
See also
*
List of Tenochtitlan rulers
This is a list of Mesoamerican rulers of the ''altepetl'' of Tenochtitlan (modern Mexico City) from its foundation in 1325 until the end of the line of indigenous rulers. From c. 1375 onwards, the rulers of Tenochtitlan were monarchs and used the ...
References
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External links
*
{{Authority control
Tenochca tlatoque
Nahuatl-language poets
15th-century monarchs in North America
15th-century indigenous people of the Americas
Year of birth uncertain
1440s births
1481 deaths
15th century in the Aztec civilization