Ahuitzotl

Ahuizotl
8th Tlatoani of Tenochtitlan
Ruler of the Aztec Triple Alliance
Ahuitzotl in the Codex Mendoza
Reign 7 Rabbit (1486) – 10 Rabbit (1502)
Predecessor Tizoc
Successor Moctezuma II
Died 10 Rabbit (1502)
Issue King Chimalpilli II
King Cuauhtémoc
Daughter
Father Tezozomoc
Mother Atotoztli II

Ahuitzotl (Nahuatl languages: āhuitzotl, Nahuatl pronunciation: [aːˈwit͡sot͡ɬ] ( listen)) was the eighth Aztec ruler, the Hueyi Tlatoani of the city of Tenochtitlan, son of princess Atotoztli II. He was responsible for much of the expansion of the Mexica domain, and consolidated the empire's power after emulating his predecessor. He took power as tlatoani in the year 7 Rabbit (1486), after the death of his predecessor and brother, Tizoc.

His sons were kings Chimalpilli II and Cuauhtémoc and he also had one daughter.

Biography

Perhaps the greatest known military leader of Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, Ahuizotl began his reign by suppressing a Huastec rebellion, and then swiftly more than doubled the size of lands under Aztec dominance. He conquered the Mixtec, Zapotec, and other peoples from Pacific Coast of Mexico down to the western part of Guatemala. Ahuizotl also supervised a major rebuilding of Tenochtitlan on a grander scale including the expansion of the Great Pyramid or Templo Mayor in the year 8 Reed (1487).

He presided over the introduction of the great-tailed grackle into the Valley of Mexico, the earliest documented case of human-mediated bird introduction in the Western Hemisphere.[1]

Ahuizotl died in the year 10 Rabbit (1502) and was succeeded by his nephew, Moctezuma II.

Ahuizotl took his name from the animal ahuizotl, which the Aztecs considered to be a legendary creature in its own right rather than a mere mythical representation of the king.

Map

Map showing the expansion of the Aztec empire showing the areas conquered by the Aztec rulers. The conquests of Ahuitzotl is marked by the colour yellow.[2]
  • Under the name Teomitl, Ahuitzotl is a primary character in the Obsidian and Blood series by Aliette de Bodard, which are set in the last year of the reign of Axayacatl and the first years of the reign of Tizoc.

Notes

  1. ↑ Haemig, Paul D. (January 2012). "Introduction of the Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) by Aztec Emperor Auitzotl: Provenance of the historical account (La Introducción de la Quiscalus mexicanus por el Emperador Azteca Auitzotl: Origen del Relato Histórico)". The Auk. University of California Press. 129 (1): 70–75. doi:10.1525/auk.2011.11058. JSTOR 10.1525/auk.2011.11058.
  2. ↑ Based on the maps by Ross Hassig in "Aztec Warfare".

References

  • Townsend, Richard F. (2000) The Aztecs. revised ed. Thames and Hudson, New York.
  • Hassig, Ross (1988) Aztec Warfare: Imperial Expansion and Political Control. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman.
  • Weaver, Muriel Porter (1993). The Aztecs, Maya, and Their Predecessors: Archaeology of Mesoamerica (3rd ed.). San Diego: Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-01-263999-3.
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Tizoc		 Tlatoani of Tenochtitlan
7 Rabbit – 10 Rabbit
(1486–1502)		 Succeeded by
Moctezuma II
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