Don Diego de Alvarado Huanitzin (or Panitzin) was a 16th-century Nahua noble. A grandson of Axayacatl, Nephew of tlatoani

Moctezuma II Moctezuma Xocoyotzin ( – 29 June 1520; oteːkˈsoːmaḁ ʃoːkoˈjoːt͡sĩn̥), nci-IPA, Motēuczōmah Xōcoyōtzin, moteːkʷˈsoːma ʃoːkoˈjoːtsin variant spellings include Motewksomah, Motecuhzomatzin, Montezuma, Moteuczoma, Motecu ...

. He was initially the '' tlatoani'' (ruler) of Ecatepec before becoming ''tlatoani'' of Tenochtitlan, as well as its first governor under the colonial Spanish system of government.

Biography

Early positions

He was initially the '' tlatoani'' (ruler) of Ecatepec before becoming ''tlatoani'' of Tenochtitlan, as well as its first governor under the colonial Spanish system of government. He had been designated governor (tlatoani) of Ecatépec by Moctezuma, in the year 2 Técpatl after the death of Chimalpilli the former tlatoani. Moctezuma was already prisoner of Cortés in Tenochtitlan, the people of Ecatepec accepted him as their ruler and hid him along with his mother.

Captivity and baptism

After the fall of Tenochtitlan, he was one of the five Aztec lords held captive by Cortés along with Cuauhtemoc, the cihuacohuatl Tlacotzin, Oquiztzin, and Motelchiuhtzin. Along them he was also tortured, with his feet burned, because of the gold lost by the Spaniards when they had to flee Tenochtitlan. Huanitzin was

baptized Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

with the Spanish

Christian name A Christian name, sometimes referred to as a baptismal name, is a religious personal name given on the occasion of a Christian baptism, though now most often assigned by parents at birth. In English-speaking cultures, a person's Christian name ...

''Diego'', and took the

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

''de Alvarado'' from his baptismal sponsor — probably

Pedro de Alvarado Pedro de Alvarado (; c. 1485 – 4 July 1541) was a Spanish conquistador and governor of Guatemala.Lovell, Lutz and Swezey 1984, p. 461. He participated in the conquest of Cuba, in Juan de Grijalva's exploration of the coasts of the Yucatá ...

or one of his brothers, whose uncle with whom they came to America was named Diego de Alvarado.

Governor of Tenochtitlan

Cortés took Huanitzin along with many other indigenous rulers in his travel to

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

. He was spared from execution when Cuauhtemoc was hanged by Cortés along with Tetlepanquetzatzin, tlatoani of Tlacopan and don Pedro Cohuanacochtzin. After the return of Cortés, Huanitzin was released and returned as Tlatoani of Ecatepec, where he ruled 14 years. As grandson of a former Tlatoani, in the year 7 Tochtli (1538), he was chosen as the first governor of Tenochtitlan (Mexico), by the don Antonio de Mendoza, first viceroy of México. Tenochtitlan had been without official ruler for almost a year.

Personal life and death

Don Diego de Alvarado Huanitzin died in 1541. Among his children were Doña Juana de Alvarado, who married Huehue Totoquihuaztli, ruler of Tlacopan; Don

Cristóbal de Guzmán Cecetzin Don Cristóbal de Guzmán Cecetzin (or Cecepaticatzin) was a colonial Nahua noble from Santa María Cuepopan in San Juan Tenochtitlan. A son of the ruler don Diego Huanitzin, don Cristóbal first served as alcalde in 1556 before becoming Tenoc ...

, who later became governor of Tenochtitlan; Don

Hernando de Alvarado Tezozomoc Hernando is a common Spanish given name, equivalent to Fernando and the English Ferdinand. It may refer to: Places ;Canada * Hernando Island, British Columbia ;United States * Hernando, Florida * Hernando County, Florida * Hernando, Mississippi ...

, an interpreter known today for the ''

Crónica mexicayotl The ''Crónica Mexicayotl'' is a chronicle of the history of the Aztec Empire from the early Nahua migrations to the colonial period, which was written in the Nahuatl language around the 16th century. Its authorship is debated because the earliest ...

''; and Doña Isabel, who married

Antonio Valeriano Antonio Valeriano (c. 1521–1605) was a colonial Mexican, Nahua scholar and politician. He was a collaborator with fray Bernardino de Sahagún in the creation of the twelve-volume ''General History of the Things of New Spain'', the Florentine C ...

, who would also become governor of Tenochtitlan.

Mass of St. Gregory

Huanitzin may have created a featherwork representation of the '' Mass of Saint Gregory'', after a Dutch engraving. Dated 1539, it is the earliest dated work of art in

New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Am ...

Notes

References

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Huanitzin, Diego De Alvarado Nahua nobility Tlatoque of Ecatepec Tenochca tlatoque Governors of San Juan Tenochtitlan Year of birth unknown 1541 deaths 16th-century monarchs in North America 16th-century indigenous people of the Americas 16th-century Mexican people 1520s in the Aztec civilization 16th century in the Aztec civilization Mexican Roman Catholics Nobility of the Americas