Xochitl (
pronunciation
r. 877–916) was a

Toltec The Toltec culture () was a Pre-Columbian era, pre-Columbian Mesoamerican culture that ruled a state centered in Tula (Mesoamerican site), Tula, Hidalgo (state), Hidalgo, Mexico, during the Epiclassic and the early Post-Classic period of Mesoam ...

Queen and wife of Tecpancaltzin Iztaccaltzin. Her existence beyond legend is questionable, and accounts of her life are mainly based on the writings of indigenous historian

Fernando de Alva Ixtlilxochitl Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese given name and a surname common in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, former Spanish or Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Africa, the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka. It is equivalent to the Ge ...

Biography

Xochitl was a mistress of the Toltec Emperor Tecpancaltzin, bearing him a son. (Tecpancaltzin had only daughters by his first wife, Maxio). After Maxio died, Xochitl became recognized as queen. Her son became heir and was known as Topiltzin- Meconetzin. When she was elderly, civil war erupted in the

Toltec Empire The Toltec Empire'', ''Toltec Kingdom or Altepetl Tollan was a political entity in modern Mexico. It existed through the classic and post-classic periods of Mesoamerican chronology, but gained most of its power in the post-classic. During this t ...

. Xochitl called upon other women to join her in battle, and created and led a battalion composed entirely of women soldiers. She died on the battlefield. The son of Xochitl and Tecpancaltzin, Topiltzin, was the last of the Toltec kings, before he was overthrown in the civil war. It was during the final stand of the Toltecs at Tultitlan that Tecpancaltzin and Xochitl were slain in battle.

Depiction in art

A well-known painting of Xochitl and Tecpancaltzin, ''El descubrimiento del pulque'', was completed in 1869 by Mexican artist José Obregón. Obregón was trained, and painted in, a classical style popular in the 19th century. ''El descubrimiento del pulque'' is based on historian

's description of Xochitl as a beautiful virgin brought to Tecpancaltzin by her father, Papatzin. Papatzin was a Toltec noble, and a cultivator of

maguey Maguey may refer to various American plants: * Genus ''Agave'', especially ** Species ''Agave americana'', the century plant ** Species '' Agave salmiana'' * Genus ''Furcraea'', a source of natural fiber * Maguey flowers, an edible flower Other use ...

plants, also called

agave ''Agave'' (; ; ) is a genus of monocots native to the hot and arid regions of the Americas and the Caribbean, although some ''Agave'' species are also native to tropical areas of North America, such as Mexico. The genus is primarily known for ...

plants and related to aloe. Xochitl presented to Tecpancaltzin a drink that she and/or her father invented,

pulque Pulque (; nci, metoctli), or octli, is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sap of the maguey (agave) plant. It is traditional in central Mexico, where it has been produced for millennia. It has the color of milk, a rather viscous co ...

, made from the honey of maguey. The painting was part of a cultural rise in Mexican nationalism during the period, yet the influence of classical European art symbolism appears throughout the painting. More recently, Xochitl appears as one of the 999 women included in American artist

Judy Chicago Judy Chicago (born Judith Sylvia Cohen; July 20, 1939) is an American feminist artist, art educator, and writer known for her large collaborative art installation pieces about birth and creation images, which examine the role of women in history ...

's installation work, ''

The Dinner Party ''The Dinner Party'' is an installation artwork by feminist artist Judy Chicago. Widely regarded as the first epic feminist artwork, it functions as a symbolic history of women in civilization. There are 39 elaborate place settings on a triangul ...

''. Xochitl is named in the Heritage Floor.

References

{{Reflist History of Mesoamerica Mesoamerican warfare All-female military units and formations Native American women in warfare Women in medieval warfare Toltec people Toltec history Queens consort 10th-century women