Xihuitl Temoc ( nci, Xīhuītl Tēmoc for "falling comet"), alternatively rendered as Xihuitl-Temoc and Xihuitltemoc (1400s - c. 1427), was, according to 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 ...

'', the last king or

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 ...

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 ...

before the formation of the

Aztec Empire The Aztec Empire or the Triple Alliance ( nci, Ēxcān Tlahtōlōyān, Help:IPA/Nahuatl, �jéːʃkaːn̥ t͡ɬaʔtoːˈlóːjaːn̥ was an alliance of three Nahua peoples, Nahua altepetl, city-states: , , and . These three city-states ruled ...

. He was reportedly the eldest son and successor of

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 ...

, who is more commonly referenced as the last pre-imperial

. His father died in 1427 under suspicious circumstances, and Xihuitl Temoc became tlatoani for a mere sixty days before his own death. His identity has been questioned, Carlos Santamaria Novillo proposing he may have been the same figure as Teuctlehuac, another son of

who had ties to the Tepanecs. Similarly,

Camilla Townsend Camilla Townsend (born January 29, 1965) is an American historian and professor of history at Rutgers University. She specializes in the early history of Native Americans in the United States, as well as in the history of Latin America. Her 2019 ...

suggests Xihuitl Temoc may have been a Tepanec puppet installed after

Maxtla Maxtla (Nahuatl pronunciation: ''maštɬa'') was a Tepanec ruler (''tlatoani'') of Azcapotzalco from 1426 to his death in 1428. Family He was a son of the famous king Tezozomoc, who was a son of Acolnahuacatl and queen Cuetlaxochitzin. His mot ...

killed Chimalpopoca, one of the two suspects in the murder of that ruler; the other being his uncle,

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 th ...

. This is also the presumed fate of Xihuitl Temoc, deposition by

and his supporters, after which

became the first

Aztec Emperor 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 ...

. Some authors like

Ross Hassig Ross Hassig (born December 13, 1945) is an American historical anthropologist specializing in Mesoamerican studies, particularly the Aztec culture. His focus is often on the description of practical infrastructure in Mesoamerican societies. H ...

, however, doubt the existence of Xihuitl Temoc, on the grounds no other source mentions him. Though he does offer an alternative, that Xihuitl Temoc was automatically declared king due to his father being the previous tlatoani, and that he was never actually crowned. Xihuitl Temoc may have been named after a distant ancestor, a political figure of Colhuacan.

References

{{Aztec Tenochca tlatoque 15th-century monarchs in North America 15th-century indigenous people of the Americas 1427 deaths 15th-century murdered monarchs 15th century in the Aztec civilization 15th-century births Year of birth unknown