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Huitzilihuitl or Huitzilihuitzin (
Nahuatl language Nahuatl (; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan languages, Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahuas, Nahua peoples, most of whom live mainly in ...
; English: ''Hummingbird Feather'') (1370s – ''ca.'' 1417) was the second ''
Tlatoani ''Tlatoani'' ( , "one who speaks, ruler"; plural ' or tlatoque) is the Classical Nahuatl term for the ruler of an , a pre-Hispanic state. It is the noun form of the verb "tlahtoa" meaning "speak, command, rule". As a result, it has been various ...
'' or
king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
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 ...
. According to the Codex Chimalpahin, he reigned from 1390 to 1415, according to the Codex Aubin, he reigned from 1396 to 1417 and according to the Codex Chimalpopoca, he reigned from 1403 to 1417.


Biography


Family and childhood

Huitzilíhuitl was born in Tenochtitlan, and was the son of
Acamapichtli Acamapichtli ( nci-IPA, Ācamāpichtli, aːkamaːˈpit͡ʃt͡ɬi, meaning "Handful of reeds") was the first ''Tlatoani'', or king, of the Aztecs (or Mexica) of Tenochtitlan, and founder of the Aztec imperial dynasty. Chronicles differ as to the ...
, first ''tlatoani'' of the
Mexica The Mexica (Nahuatl: , ;''Nahuatl Dictionary.'' (1990). Wired Humanities Project. University of Oregon. Retrieved August 29, 2012, frolink/ref> singular ) were a Nahuatl-speaking indigenous people of the Valley of Mexico who were the rulers of ...
, and Queen
Tezcatlan Miyahuatzin Tezcatlan Miyahuatzin ( fl. 14th century) was the second Queen of Tenochtitlan. Tezcatlan Miyahuatzin was a daughter of Acacitli. She married Acamapichtli, the first king of Tenochtitlan. She was a mother of his successor Huitzilihuitl and grandm ...
, and had a half-brother
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 ...
. His maternal grandfather was
Acacitli Acacitli ( Nahuatl for "reed hare"; ) was a Mexica chief and one of the "founding fathers" of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire. According to the '' Crónica mexicayotl'', his daughter Tezcatlan Miyahuatzin was married to Acamapich ...
. Only 16 years old when his father died, Huitzilihuitl was elected by the principal chiefs, warriors and priests of the city to replace him. At that time, the Mexica were tributaries of the
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 dates vary by source, including 1152 CE in Anales de Tlatelolco, 1210 from Chimalpahin, and 1226 from Ixtlilxoch ...
city-state of
Azcapotzalco Azcapotzalco ( nci, Āzcapōtzalco , , from ''wikt:azcapotzalli, āzcapōtzalli'' “anthill” + ''wikt:-co, -co'' “place”; literally, “In the place of the anthills”) is a Boroughs of Mexico City, borough (''demarcación territorial'') i ...
.


Reign

Huitzilíhuitl, a good politician, continued the policies of his father, seeking alliances with his neighbors. He founded the Royal Council or ''Tlatocan'' and established four permanent electors to advise the new king, in his inexperience, at the beginning of each reign.García Purón (1984, p.31) He married
Ayauhcihuatl Ayauhcihuatl was a Queen of Tenochtitlan. Biography Ayauhcihuatl was born as a princess of Azcapotzalco. She was a daughter of King Tezozomoc and sister of Kings Aculnahuacatl Tzaqualcatl, Quaquapitzahuac, Epcoatl, Tzihuactlayahuallohuatzin ...
, daughter of Tezozómoc, the powerful ''tlatoani'' of Azcapotzalco, and obtained a reduction of tribute payments to the symbolic level. Their son
Chimalpopoca Chimalpopoca ( nci-IPA, Chīmalpopōca, t͡ʃiːmaɬpoˈpoːka for "smoking shield," ) or Chīmalpopōcatzin (1397–1427) was the third Emperor of Tenochtitlan (1417–1427). Biography Chimalpopoca was born to the Emperor Huitzilihuitl and Q ...
would succeed his father as ''tlatoani''. After the death of Ayaucíhuatl, Huitzilíhuitl married a second time, to
Miahuaxihuitl Miahuaxihuitl () of Cuauhnahuac was a Queen of Tenochtitlan. Her name is also spelled as Miyahuaxihuitl. She was mother of the Princess Matlalcihuatzin and the Aztec Emperor Moctezuma I. She was also an aunt of the Queen Chichimecacihuatzin I and ...
. She bore him
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 ...
, who also succeeded to the throne as the fifth ''Huey Tlatoani'' of Aztecs. During his reign, the weaving industry grew. It provided cotton cloth not only for Tenochtitlan, but also for Azcapotzalco and Cuauhnāhuac. The Mexicas no longer had to dress in coarse '' ayates" of
maguey Maguey may refer to various American plants: * Genus '' Agave'', especially ** Species ''Agave americana'', the century plant ** Species ''Agave salmiana ''Agave salmiana'' (also known as ''maguey pulquero'' and green maguey) is a species of the ...
fibers, but were able to change to soft, dyed cotton.García Purón (1984, p.32) Huitzilíhuitl also wanted to introduce potable water into the city, bringing it to the island from the mainland over the brackish water of the lake. But the nobles not approving the cost, he was unable to put his plan into operation. He constructed a fort on a rock on the island. In 1409, the ruler of Texcoco, Techotlala, died and the throne passed to Ixtlilxóchitl I. In the following years, relations between Ixtlilxóchitl and Tezozómoc of Azcapotzalco deteriorated, breaking into open hostilities c. 1416. In spite of having given his daughter Matlalchihuatzin in marriage to Ixtlilxóchitl, Huitzilíhuitl joined his father-in-law in making war on Texcoco.There is a problem with the chronology at this point. Huitzilíhuitl was 16 when he ascended to the throne. Under the more likely dating of his reign, that means he was born in 1379 or 1380. It is unlikely he was married to a close relative of Tezozómoc, a more powerful lord, before he became ''tlatoani'', because until then his prospects were uncertain. So in all likelihood his first child was born no earlier than late 1396, probably no earlier than 1397. Matlalcihuatzin's son Nezahualcóyotl was born in 1402. If she was Huitzilíhuitl's daughter, she would have been only 5 years old (give or take 1 year) when her son was born, perhaps younger. Even under the less likely dating of Huitzilíhuitl's reign, she would have been only 11 (or younger), give or take a year. And Huitzilíhuitl himself would have been 22±1 or 28±1, quite young to be a grandfather. Since the 1402 birth of Nezahualcóyotl seems well established, this casts doubt on the dates of Huitzilíhuitl's reign, or the age at which he took power, or his relationship to Matlalcihuatzin. If she were a sister or other relative rather than a daughter, that could resolve the conflict. ''Enciclopedia de México'' says sister, but many other sources say daughter. He assisted in the conquest and sacking of the cities of Tultitlan, Cuauhtitlan, Chalco, Tollantzingo,
Xaltocan Xaltocan was a pre-Columbian city-state and island in the Valley of Mexico, located in the center of Lake Xaltocan, part of an interconnected shallow lake system which included Lake Texcoco; this place is now inside the village of San Miguel J ...
, Otompa and
Acolman Acolman de Nezahualcóyotl is a town and municipality located in the northern part of State of Mexico, part of the Greater Mexico City area, just north of the city proper. According to myth, the first man was placed here after being taken out of ...
. Huitzilíhuitl profited from the booty of these conquests and also from the traffic of the canoes on the lakes surrounding Tenochtitlan.


Death

Huitzilíhuitl died, probably in 1417, before the end of the war between Azcapotzalco and Texcoco. His successor, his son Chimalpopoca, continued to support Tezozómoc and Azcapotzalco.


Personal life

Among his wives were Queen
Ayauhcihuatl Ayauhcihuatl was a Queen of Tenochtitlan. Biography Ayauhcihuatl was born as a princess of Azcapotzalco. She was a daughter of King Tezozomoc and sister of Kings Aculnahuacatl Tzaqualcatl, Quaquapitzahuac, Epcoatl, Tzihuactlayahuallohuatzin ...
, Queen Cacamacihuatl, Queen
Miahuaxihuitl Miahuaxihuitl () of Cuauhnahuac was a Queen of Tenochtitlan. Her name is also spelled as Miyahuaxihuitl. She was mother of the Princess Matlalcihuatzin and the Aztec Emperor Moctezuma I. She was also an aunt of the Queen Chichimecacihuatzin I and ...
, and Queen
Miyahuaxochtzin Miyahuaxochtzin of Tiliuhcan was a Queen of Tenochtitlan as a wife of King Huitzilihuitl. She was a daughter of King Tlacacuitlahuatzin and sister of Princess Matlalxochtzin and Queen Tlacochcuetzin. She was the mother of Prince Huehue Zaca an ...
.


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 ...


Notes


References

* * * * * *


External links


Huitzilihuitl entry on The Visual History Project
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Huitzilhuitl Tenochca tlatoque 14th-century monarchs in North America 15th-century monarchs in North America 14th-century indigenous people of the Americas 15th-century indigenous people of the Americas 1370s births 1410s deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain 14th century in the Aztec civilization 15th century in the Aztec civilization