Quetzalpopoca
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Qualpopoca (or Quetzalpopoca) was an
Aztec The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those g ...
administrator and military commander whose operations on behalf of the Aztec Emperor
Moctezuma Xocoyotzin Moctezuma Xocoyotzin ( – 29 June 1520; oteːkˈsoːmaḁ ʃoːkoˈjoːt͡sĩn̥), nci-IPA, Motēuczōmah Xōcoyōtzin, moteːkʷˈsoːma ʃoːkoˈjoːtsin variant spellings include Motewksomah, Motecuhzomatzin, Montezuma, Moteuczoma, Motecu ...
against the Spanish
conquistadors Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (, ; meaning 'conquerors') were the explorer-soldiers of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, O ...
at
Nautla Nautla is a settlement in the Mexican state of Veracruz. ''Nautla'' comes from the Nahuatl ''naui'', 'four'; and from ''tlan'', that means 'place'; so it is known as 'Four Places'. History First it was a prehispanic town that was in Casitas, ...
prompted the crisis in Aztec-Spanish relations that provided
Hernán Cortés Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, 1st Marquess of the Valley of Oaxaca (; ; 1485 – December 2, 1547) was a Spanish ''conquistador'' who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of w ...
with the pretext he needed to capture Moctezuma and overthrow the Aztec state. Qualpopoca had killed and captured a number of conquistadors in a battle close to Nauhtla after a dispute about tribute, and thus was the first (and one of the very few) Aztec commanders to have any success against the Spanish. In revenge, Cortes forced the captive Moctezuma to order his arrest, return him to the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan and subsequently burn him alive in front of the
Templo Mayor The (Spanish: Main Temple) was the main temple of the Mexica people in their capital city of Tenochtitlan, which is now Mexico City. Its architectural style belongs to the late Postclassic period of Mesoamerica. The temple was called ' in ...
.


Operations in Nauhtla

Qualpopoca first appears in the historical record when he was ordered by the Aztec Emperor
Moctezuma Xocoyotzin Moctezuma Xocoyotzin ( – 29 June 1520; oteːkˈsoːmaḁ ʃoːkoˈjoːt͡sĩn̥), nci-IPA, Motēuczōmah Xōcoyōtzin, moteːkʷˈsoːma ʃoːkoˈjoːtsin variant spellings include Motewksomah, Motecuhzomatzin, Montezuma, Moteuczoma, Motecu ...
to take control of the region surrounding the Aztec city of Nautla. Nauhtla was a border city of the Aztec Empire, the garrison there exerting Aztec dominion over the local population, who were largely
Totonac The Totonac are an indigenous people of Mexico who reside in the states of Veracruz, Puebla, and Hidalgo. They are one of the possible builders of the pre-Columbian city of El Tajín, and further maintained quarters in Teotihuacán (a city wh ...
in ethnic origin. The province had only recently been added to the Aztec Empire through conquest, and when Hernán Cortés arrived in the region (now the
Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...
state of
Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...
) in 1519, one of his first acts was to overthrow Aztec dominion by seizing Aztec tribute collectors in the town of
Quiahuiztlan Quiahuiztlan was one of the four ''altepetl'' (polities) that made up the confederation of Tlaxcala. It is located in the modern city of Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala State, Mexico. History Quiahuiztlan in Tlaxcala State shares the same name as a settlemen ...
and only returning them after a personal request from the Aztec Emperor. He then routed the Aztec garrison at the town of Tizapancingo and returned the state to the native Totonacs under their leader
Tlacochcalcatl Tlacochcalcatl ( "The man from the house of darts") was an Aztec military title or rank; roughly equivalent to the modern title of field marshal. In Aztec warfare the ''tlacochcalcatl'' was second in command only to the ''tlatoani'' and he usuall ...
of
Cempoala Cempoala or Zempoala (Nahuatl Nahuatl (; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahua peoples, most of whom live mainly ...
.Thomas, p. 209–212 To restore the province to Aztec control, Moctezuma despatched Qualpopoca with instructions to defeat the Totonacs and their Spanish allies. Arriving in October 1519, Qualpopoca demanded that the Totonac towns pay their regular tribute to the Aztec capital,
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 ...
. The towns appealed to the Spanish garrisons at Villa Rica and
Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...
and
Juan de Escalante Juan de Escalante (c. 1479 – 10 November 1519) was a Spanish military man. He joined as a captain on Hernán Cortés' expedition and in 1519 he was commander of the garrison of Veracruz. Biography In 1518, he travelled to the Gulf of Mexico und ...
, the conquistador then in command, warned Qualpopoca not to threaten the Totonacs and demanded gold as recompense. Qualpopoca took no notice and continued to organise reprisals against Totonac villages that had not paid tribute. Escalante counterattacked with an army of conquistadors and Totonac warriors and met Qualpopoca in a battle near Nauhtla.Thomas, p. 305 The battle was short, the Totonac forces routing early on and Escalante forced to withdraw under heavy attack, leaving Nauthla in flames. During the retreat, Escalante was mortally wounded, five Spaniards were killed and one, Juan de Argüello, captured. As was traditional in Aztec society, Argüello and the captured Totonacs were sacrificed, the Spaniard's head being sent to Moctezuma as a trophy. Cortes later suggested in a letter, as justification for the death of Qualpopoca, that these men were not killed or captured in battle, but instead had been sent by the Spanish as emissaries and guides to Qualpopoca who had had them seized and sacrificed.Thomas, p. 703


Intrigues in Tenochtitlan

When word of the battle reached Tenochtitlan on 14 November 1519, there was consternation. Hernán Cortés and his force of 300 conquistadors and several thousand Totonac and
Tlaxcala Tlaxcala (; , ; from nah, Tlaxcallān ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tlaxcala ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tlaxcala), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 60 municipaliti ...
n allies had reached the city a week earlier and were living in one of the city's palaces as guests of Moctezuma. The presence of the Spanish and their traditional enemies the Tlaxcalans caused unease in the city, especially following their massacre of the population of Cholula a few weeks previously. News of the battle at Nauhtla, accompanied by the arrival of Argüello's head, caused concern among the Aztec government that it might provoke the Spanish or their allies into an attack on the city's nobility as had happened at Cholula. The head was sent away and Moctezuma agreed to a private meeting with Cortes. Cortes arrived with 35 armed men and, after a brief preamble, informed Moctezuma that he would either join the Spanish in their accommodation as a hostage or he would be killed on the spot along with his advisors and attendants. Despite arguing and pleading with Cortes, Moctezuma eventually submitted to the Spanish and, with his principal advisors, moved to the Spanish accommodation where he became a prisoner in all but name. Although allowed to continue to rule as before, all of Moctezuma's proclamations, correspondence and movements were controlled by Cortes.Thomas, p. 307


Death of Qualpopoca

One of the first actions of the new prisoner emperor was to order the arrest of Qualpopoca, two of his sons and 15 other Aztec nobles. These men were brought to Tenochtitlan where Moctezuma gave them to Cortes. Under questioning, Qualpopoca insisted that he had been acting on his own initiative when attacking Escalante but later changed his story, possibly under torture, to claim that Moctezuma had deliberately ordered him to wage war on the Spanish. Cortes informed Moctezuma of this and told him that although he considered the Emperor guilty of ordering the attack on Escalante's men, Cortes would protect him from harm.Thomas, p. 309 Cortes then brought a shackled Moctezuma out into the great plaza in front of the
Templo Mayor The (Spanish: Main Temple) was the main temple of the Mexica people in their capital city of Tenochtitlan, which is now Mexico City. Its architectural style belongs to the late Postclassic period of Mesoamerica. The temple was called ' in ...
and made him watch, along with thousands of citizens of Tenochtitlan, as Qualpopoca, his sons and the fifteen other prisoners were tied to stakes, surrounded with bundles or arrows and wooden weapons from the Aztec armouries and burnt to death. According to some accounts, the crowd watched the spectacle in total silence and when the prisoners were dead, Cortes told Moctezuma he could go free. Terrified by the anger of his subjects following this public execution of one of his most senior officers, Moctezuma refused. Over the next few months the Aztec Emperor would gradually lose the respect of his people, culminating in his death on the Noche Triste on 30 June 1520.Thomas, p. 310


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References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Qualpopoca Aztec people Executed Mexican people People executed by Spain by burning 1519 deaths Year of birth unknown 15th-century indigenous people of the Americas 16th-century indigenous people of the Americas