Quecholcohuatl was a Chalcan musician. He was known for making peace between his native

altepetl The (, plural ''altepeme'' or ''altepemeh'') was the local, ethnically-based political entity, usually translated into English as "city-state," of pre-Columbian Nahuatl-speaking societiesSmith 1997 p. 37 in the Americas. The ''altepetl'' was ...

of Chalco and

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 ...

by serenading its

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 variousl ...

Axayacatl Axayacatl (; nci, āxāyacatl ; es, Axayácatl ; meaning "face of water"; –1481) was the sixth of the of Tenochtitlan and Emperor of the Aztec Triple Alliance. Biography Early life and background Axayacatl was a son of the princess Ato ...

, in 1479. His Nahuatl name roughly translated to ''"Flamingo Snake"'' in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, although he later adopted the Christian name, Don Jerónimo, after the

Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, also known as the Conquest of Mexico or the Spanish-Aztec War (1519–21), was one of the primary events in the Spanish colonization of the Americas. There are multiple 16th-century narratives of the eve ...

of 1519–21.

Making peace

The story of how Quecholcohuatl made peace with the

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 variousl ...

, is told in the ''Eight Relations'', an

annal Annals ( la, annāles, from , "year") are a concise historical record in which events are arranged chronologically, year by year, although the term is also used loosely for any historical record. Scope The nature of the distinction between anna ...

written by Chalcan

annalist Annalists (from Latin ''annus'', year; hence ''annales'', sc. ''libri'', annual records), were a class of writers on Roman history, the period of whose literary activity lasted from the time of the Second Punic War to that of Sulla. They wrote th ...

, Chimalpahin. The story features in his Seventh Relation. Chalco was conquered by the Aztec triple-alliance under

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 ...

in or around 1465, after which the kings of Chalco were exiled to Huexotzinco. By 1479, the Chalcan people had grown tired of the

hegemonic Hegemony (, , ) is the political, economic, and military predominance of one state over other states. In Ancient Greece (8th BC – AD 6th ), hegemony denoted the politico-military dominance of the ''hegemon'' city-state over other city-states. ...

dominion of the Aztecs and wanted to join the Mexica of

, Tepanecs of

Tlacopan Tlacopan, also called Tacuba, was a Tepanec / Mexica altepetl on the western shore of Lake Texcoco. The site is today the neighborhood of Tacuba, in Mexico City. Etymology The name comes from Classical Nahuatl ''tlacōtl'', "stem" or "rod" and ...

and the Acolhua of Texcoco as an allied power in the

Valley of Mexico The Valley of Mexico ( es, Valle de México) is a highlands plateau in central Mexico roughly coterminous with present-day Mexico City and the eastern half of the State of Mexico. Surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, the Valley of Mexico w ...

. In order to achieve this, Quecholcohuatl travelled to Tenochtitlan in 1479, accompanied by other Chalcan drummers and singers to perform for the Tlatoani, Axayacatl. Quecholcohuatl was not supposed to be the lead musician, but the chosen Chalcan nobleman had fainted earlier that day, leaving Quecholcohuatl to lead the performance. The Mexica believed that the musicians came for the sole purpose of entertaining the Tlatoani, however, the performance carried a political message. The song title performed by the group of Chalcans roughly translates to ''"the Chalca woman's song"''. It is sung from the perspective of a Chalcan noblewoman taken prisoner during the war with the Aztecs. The song highlighted how the Aztecs'

hegemony Hegemony (, , ) is the political, economic, and military predominance of one State (polity), state over other states. In Ancient Greece (8th BC – AD 6th ), hegemony denoted the politico-military dominance of the ''hegemon'' city-state over oth ...

had disproportionately devastated Chalcan women. Women were seen as relatively equal to men during times of peace but were condemned to sex slavery by the victors, a sanction that passed onto her children. The girl's reaction to her situation evolves; she initially attempts to regain agency by flirting with her master: ''"What if I were to pleasure him?"''. In later stanzas, she offers more direct references to how the master sexually exploits her:

''"Will you ruin my body painting?'' ''You will lie watching what comes to be a green flamingo bird flower...'' ''It is a quetzal popcorn flower, a flamingo raven flower.'' ''You lie on your flower-mantled mat.'' ''It lies inside.'' ''You lie on your golden reed mat.'' ''It lies in the feathered cavern house."''

Later in the song, the Chalcan woman's heart breaks as she remembers her life before the desolation of war and

. She remembers that, as the children of a noblewoman, her offspring were to be rulers, something that she laments losing:

''"As a noble girl child, I was spoken of in connection with my marriage...'' ''It is infuriating, it is heartrending, here on Earth.'' ''I worry and fret.'' ''I consume myself in rage.'' ''In my desperation, I suddenly say, "hey, child, I would as soon die"''

The line, ''"I would as soon die"'' ( nci, Manoce nimiqui), is intended to emphasise her despair upon losing any hope of raising influential children. The song ends with the Chalcan girl offering to live with the Tlatoani without rancor, if and only if she were treated with respect:

''"Don't let your heart take a needless tumble...'' ''Here is your hand.'' ''Come along, holding me by the hand.'' ''Be content.'' ''On your reed mat, on your throne, sleep peacefully.'' ''Relax, you who are kind Axayacatl."''

At this point in the performance the Tlatoani came out from inside, where he was accompanied by his women, to dance, something that was considered a great honor for the performers. Once the music finished, the Tlatoani retired inside, sending a messenger to summon the lead musician. When Quecholcohuatl entered, he began to beg forgiveness of the Tlatoani. However, it turned out that

actually enjoyed the performance. He took Quecholcohuatl to bed with him and requested that he only perform for him thereafter. Chimalpahin reported that

told his wives: ''"Women, stand up and meet him, seat him among you. Here has come your rival."'' Therefore, it is believed that Quecholcohuatl and

engaged in sexual relations that afternoon before a great feast.

died two years later in 1481. His successor and eldest half-brother,

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 ...

, completed the process of reinstating the royal lines and

tlatoque ''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 variousl ...

of Chalco in 1486.

References

{{reflist Aztec people 15th-century musicians 16th-century musicians Nahuatl-language singers Year of birth missing Year of death missing