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 Mexi ...

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, th ...

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 t ...

. 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 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 and Cuitláhuac.

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

in 1469, he was chosen to ascend to the throne, much to the displeasure of his two older brothers,

and Ahuitzotl. 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

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) 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 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

, with their youngest brother Ahuitzotl appearing as a primary character.

Notes

References

* * * * *

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